Earthdance
by Stopwatch-To-Oblivion
Summary: AU. The world I live in is in ruins, the Guardians rule all, and to anger one will not bode well for you. Danny Fenton made that mistake. Sort of. And now, chaos reigns like acid fire from the sky, threating to consume the world. Language.
1. Chapter 1

_I have a serious problem with keeping the plot bunnies away, don't I? Look at this, I just can't keep my ideas tucked away like a good little author, can I? No. Well, either way, this was influenced by an awesome movie I just saw called 'Origin: Spirits of the Past'. It was absolutely beautiful! _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom._

_Also, AU fic. Never thought I'd do one of these. People will be slightly OOC for the obvious (or not so obvious) reason that this is not Danny's, for lack of a better term, "true" world. _

**Earthdance**

--Your Destiny is created by the choices and chances you take along life's road.--

1: Electrical Fire 

_**The world I live in is different from yours. **_

_**Humans live in fear of the elements, hiding in the ruins of their once great cities while the Guardians of the Elements rule over them from the shadows. **_

_**Forest, Ice, Rock, Water, Sky, Wind, Fire, Light, Time, and Darkness. **_

_**What? You're running already? **_

_**Come back. The Forest only consumes those who mean it harm…**_

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

"Sam! Catch it! Quick!" Sam Manson dove forward and caught the tumbling container of water before it hit the ground, skidding across the dirt on her stomach as she did so. With a slightly disgruntled sigh, she stood up and handed it back to the man who'd dropped it. He smiled at her and shrugged but she was already gone, running down the path, hopping down crevices, her thin, agile frame disappearing into the shade as she went. She was already late as it was.

The small town of Amity was built from the ruins of some great city whose name was long forgotten. Years ago, human scientists had drabbled in things that were better left alone and Hell spilled out upon the world. The Guardians of the Elements destroyed every human creation that lay in their path, consuming the world and making it overrun by nature. The humans had lived in fear of the Elemental Guardians ever since, cowering in their rebuilt cities, forbidden to enter the territory of a Guardian. Unfortunately for the people of Amity, their small home town was reconstructed beside the Ghost Wood where dwelled the Guardian of the Forest. People were rumored to have vanished if they got to near the Ghost Wood, devoured by the temperamental Guardian.

"Heeeeeeyyyyy!" Shouted a voice, "Saaaaaaaaaaammmm!"

"Tucker!" Sam jumped down a few more cliffs, off the path, and into the shade of an over-hang, "Sorry I'm late. Hey, where's Danny?"

"If you're late," Tucker said, pushing his glasses up his nose, "Then he's super late…!"

"I'll say, isn't he usually?" Sam smiled and sat down on the edge, legs dangling over it so that she was kicking the air, and starred down at the rippling blue water below, "So, are we **really** going to go down there this time or are you going to chicken out again?"

"That's not fair!" Tucker whined, looking up from the mess of electrical wires poking out of his pack, "Everyone else is terrified of the Forest Guardian, you two are just freaks!"

"We're not freaks!" Sam snapped at him, twisting her skirt in her fingers, "We're just…braver and a lot more curious than other people."

"Curiosity killed the cat." Tucker muttered under his breath, "Hopefully, the Guardian won't mind us sneaking down there." He paused, "Why do you want to go down there so bad anyway?"

"Because," Sam's lilac eye glittered in the shade, "The water down there is supposed to pure, and clean, and some people even say it's magical. It's supposed to come straight from the Ghost Wood and, I mean, look at it! It's so sparkly! How can you **not** want to try it!?"

"Better catch him, he's gonna fall." Tucker muttered and Sam shot out a hand and snatched the back of someone's shirt just as they slipped over the edge and almost went tumbling dangerously into the water below. She dragged him up onto the ledge and he blushed, muttering a thanks.

"Klutz." Sam replied.

"Shut up, Sam…!" Danny griped, ruffling his own hair so that it fell into his crystal blue eyes, "I tripped…!"

"You always trip." Tucker grinned, stuffing all the wires into the pack, "Just don't trip going **down**…!"

"We're actually **going** this time!?" Danny cried as he snapped his goggles over his eyes, "Sweetness! I got a couple containers!" He pulled some large water canteens off his back and handed one each to his friends, "Now we can bring some back!"

"Bad feeling, bad feeling…!" Tucker moaned as Sam unwound some rope from her bag, "Terrible feeling…!"

"Oh, hush!" Sam secured the three ropes to a nearby rock, checked them twice, and then started lowering herself down one of them, "Hey, you guys coming or what?"

It took a tedious amount of time for the trio to scramble down the side of the chasm and they were all getting exhausted by the time they had almost reached the bottom. That's when Danny lost his footing, slipped, slammed into the wall, gasped as the breath was knocked out of him, lost his grip on his rope, and fell with an echoing splash into the gleaming pool below. A few moments later, he resurfaced, gasping and flailing his arms about. Tucker and Sam, safely on a nearby flat rock, burst into fits of laughter.

"Shut up…!" Danny scrambled onto the rock beside them, dripping wet and completely flustered, "Oh yeah, it's really funny, laugh it up…! Let's just get the water and get out of here before we're caught!"

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

_**Who are they? Why are they here? What are they doing? What do they want from us?**_

_**Water? They want water? Do they not have plenty of it above?**_

_**This is my alcove. **_

_**They must be punished. They must pay a price. **_

_**The whole town must pay. Especially for the little brats who were throwing burning sticks into my wood yesterday.**_

_**The girl…I want the girl…she's beautiful…I want to consume her…**_

_**I WANT THAT GIRL!**_

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

None of them were caught and they made it back to the top with canteens full of clear, sparkling water. They hung out the rest of the day, laughing, joking, racing across the shattered roofs tops, across the rickety bridges, down and around the sides of the cliffs, through the harvesting fields, and through the market with the other kids.

Everyone worked in Amity. There was no way they could survive without everyone pulling some weight or another. Some gathered food and water, hunted, while others built more of the town, expanding it for its growing population, while still others worked in the harvesting fields. And then there were the people like Danny's parents who, intent on making life easier, tinkered with sciences long lost to other ages. More than once Danny had been zapped by some strange electrical charges and now and again he'd accidentally set something aflame as a spark leapt off his body and made contact with a flammable surface. Tucker thought it was hilarious.

"See you guys tomorrow!" Sam called as the trio split at dusk, heading back to their respective homes, "Later!"

"Bye Sam!" The two boys shouted at the same time and then dashed off, racing each other towards their homes. Sam shook her head at their antics and made her way towards her own house.

"I'm home! Mom? Dad?" She let the wooden door clatter shut behind her and stepped into the warm kitchen, kicking off her boots as she went.

"Hello Samantha!" Her mother embraced her, "I've got some stew on the stove and your father should be back from the fields any minute now. Clean up, would you, your covered in dust. Have you been running around with those boys again?"

"Tucker and Danny?" Sam rinsed her hands off in the sink and then splashed some water onto her face, "Yeah, why? What's wrong with them?"

"Oh, people talk, that's all."

"Tch, people talk because Danny's parents are different. There's nothing wrong with Danny himself. He's cool."

Her mother didn't respond but her lips were pressed together and Sam knew it was because she didn't like the Fentons very well. Jack and Maddie Fenton were a little strange, true, but it wasn't like they hurt anyone. Other than their son, seeing as Jazz, their daughter, refused to participate in their strange experiments. Sam rolled her eyes at the thought. Jazz was Jazz, Danny was Danny, Tucker was Tucker, she was Sam, and Amity would only and forever always be Amity.

It was sort of dull. Boring old Amity. Nothing ever happened because people were too scared of the Guardian of the Forest to go into the Ghost Wood. Imagine what interesting things had to be in there! Strange and exotic plants and animals! Sam smiled at the thought of adventuring into the Ghost Wood but she would never actually do it, even she didn't have enough guts to do that. Still, the thought intrigued her. The pool of water that she, Tucker, and Danny had taken water from actually belonged to the Guardian of the Forest. If he found out that they had been in there…well, it wasn't the kind of thoughts one should dwell on right before supper.

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

"Heeeeelllllooooooo!?" Danny shouted as he slammed the door behind him, tugged off his knee high boots, and scrambled up a ladder onto the second level of his house. It was more like a loft, really, than a second story but it was where Jazz and Danny slept, one on one side of the loft and the other on the opposite side, their 'rooms' separated by a curtain, "Jaaaaaaaazzzzzz!?"

"I'm right here, Danny, you don't have to shout…!" His sister poked her head around the curtain, "And go clean yourself off! You're filthy!"

"Alright, alright, **Mom**!" Danny snapped back and slid back down the ladder, moving over the sink and rubbing a damp dish towel over his face and arms before tossing it aside and venturing down into the underground part of their house that served as Jack and Maddie's 'lab' or whatever they called it.

"Danny!" His father waved him over and Danny shuffled forward with an inward groan, bracing himself for a small electric shock or something, "Come here and hold these wires and when I tell you to, put them together!"

"Right." Danny did as he was told, rolling his eyes, and holding the two wires.

"Are you ready Maddie!?" Jack turned to his wife who had her fingers wrapped around a handle.

"Ready, Jack, darling!" She grinned, giving him a thumbs up.

"Go!" Jack shouted and Maddie pulled the handle out and Danny stuck the wires together. Nothing happened, "Darn!" Jack stomped his foot, "I was sure that would-!"

"AAAAAHHHHHHG!" An electrical charge of green voltage shot out of the wires Danny was holding and sent the boy flying across the room and into the opposite wall where he lay sprawled on the floor, dazed, his black hair standing on end.

"Danny!" His mother was at his side in no time, "Danny, are you alright!?"

"Ooooohh," Danny smiled giddily, "Stars…! Hee hee…!"

"Oh dear…" Maddie quickly flattened her son's hair, "Jack, be a dear and help me get him up to his room, will you?"

"Sure thing, Maddie!" Jack Fenton scooped the frazzled young boy up in his arms and then paused, looking a little sorrowful, "Is he going to be okay? Did I…do something bad, Maddie?"

"No, Jack! He'll be fine!" Maddie said quickly though there was a strained edge in her voice, "Come on, let's get him so water! I'm sure he needs to rest!"

"Rainbows…!" Danny giggled, looking a little drunken, "And stars…! And rainbows…! Wooooooowwwww…! The room's spinning!" And he passed out.

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

_**Light…a very bight light…at the edge of my mind…**_

_**What was that? An explosion? I haven't seen one of those for years…**_

_**No. It feels like something else. Like lightning. Only harnessed. Harnessed lightning? Human doing. Electricity. Human fools, meddling in the old sciences. **_

…_**I still want that girl…she should be mine…that will show that stupid town…**_

_**Hmph, I know. Childish, isn't it…**_

_**I revel in it…**_

_**I'm never changing my form…**_

_**Being a child is so much more fun…**_

_**What? **_

_**They're listening?**_

_**How?**_

_**Maybe they can help…**_

_**Whoever you are, whoever this is receiving my thoughts, tell me her name. Tell me the name of the girl I desire to consume. Whisper it into the air and the invisible wind will carry it to me. Come on, tell me…**_

………………

_**So…her name is…Sam…**_

----------

_Well, that ending was a little morbid. So, want to take a stab at who the voice is that you're supposedly hearing? X) I bet you know. It's really not that hard to guess. I feel a little bad about not giving Tucker his own scene, the guy definitely does not get enough attention. Maybe in the next chapter._

_Please leave me a review! Save the starving artists! Leave a review! _


	2. Chapter 2

_This is an important costumer notice from Fifth-Third Bank for Clockwork. There has been a change in your credit card balance. If you find this recording to be an error, press one. If you would like to know more, press two. If you are not Clockwork, press three._

_Clockwork: What the hell was that!?_

_I got a recording like that once and I was just thinking, why would they press a button if it wasn't the right number? Wouldn't they just hang up? Warning: This chapter contains disturbing 'images'. You have been aptly warned._

**Earthdance**

--If you suddenly find yourself lost, turn to your friends. They are your compass out of sorrow, your map out of fear, and your light in times of need.--

2: Spark of Sacrifice

"Whoa, dude! You should be lying down!" Tucker shoved Danny onto a rock, forcing the boy to sit, "I can't believe you got electrocuted that badly! And lived!"

"Hey, I'm fine…!" Danny pushed his friend's hands away and stood back up, "It was just a blast of electricity, nothing terrible. I'm still alive, eh?"

"Let's go into the Ghost Wood." Sam said suddenly, starring into the distance where the tops of the trees rose up.

"Sam, are you even listening!? Danny just got electrocuted and-WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" Tucker just realized what Sam had said, "ARE YOU COMPLETELY OFF YOUR ROCKER!? GO INTO THE-mmmmppphhh!"

Sam slapped a hand over his mouth, glaring daggers at him, and Tucker withered under her blazing lilac eyes.

"Yeah," Danny agreed, "Let's go." He grinned, "I'm not scared of the Guardian. I don't see why everyone else should be! Come on!" He grabbed Sam's hand and she grabbed Tucker's and they dashed off towards the Ghost Wood, Tucker nearly in tears and whimpering about how he should have said good-bye while he had the chance.

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

_**Fools.**_

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

The three trouble makers of Amity stood on the edge of the Ghost Wood, peering into its depths. It wasn't like it was some creepy forest with mist and darkness and glowing eyes and all that crap. It was actually quite beautiful; exotic plants bloomed all over, the sunlight split through the leaves, spotting everything in grays and blacks and hints of green or blue or yellow-white, and the scent of purity and life wafted around it in a warm breeze. No, it was the **feeling** that made them hesitate. A snake may be brightly colored but its poison could still kill you. That was the feeling they were getting from the Ghost Wood.

"Why're we just standing here?" Sam whispered, gazing in awe at the beauty before her, "Come on, this place looks awesome…!"

"But Sam…!" Tucker moaned but his whining went unnoticed by his two other friends who had already started making their way into the forest, "Aw, crap we're all doomed to burn in living spitfire…crap, crap, crap…!"

"This place is…it's just so…I mean…" Danny seemed at a loss for words, his crystal blue eyes alight with amazement, "It's gorgeous! I can't believe that a Guardian wouldn't let people in here! It's so-."

"Can you really think of no other words to describe my home, human scum?" Hissed a haunting, echoing voice, from nowhere and suddenly, a veil of shadow dropped over the group and the sun vanished. A chill crept across them and goose bumps sprang up across their arms. Danny shivered. Something wasn't right.

"Did you think I was going to let you walk into my forest and walk right back out again?" A figure emerged from the trees, "I don't think so."

He was a boy, maybe only fourteen or fifteen, with pale skin that was tinged with green snow white hair, and glowing neon green eyes. There were some loose vines wrapped about his waist, sagging down over his thighs and wrapping back up over his shoulders but other than that he wore nothing. Tucker, Sam, and Danny all clutched at one another, paralyzed with fear. This was the Guardian of the Forest.

"I, Phantom, am not so kind to trespassers on my territory as the other Guardians," He hissed, green eyes narrowing, "And you humans have been annoying me for a long time. And now I want payment." His gaze lit upon Sam's naturally pale and terrified features, "I want Samantha."

"No…!" Danny murmured his breath frosting before him, "Not Sam…!" He clutched her tight to his chest, wrapping his arms protectively around her, Tucker hanging off his back like some sort of sniveling parasite, "Please, not Sam…!"

"Give her to me, human fool!" Phantom held out his hand, "I am being patient with you but I am about to lose my temper…!"

Danny looked deep into Sam's eyes. She saw something alight in his own. He stepped away, pushing her into Tucker's arms, and turned to face the Guardian of the Forest, shaking like a leaf in storm but still defiant.

"Danny, no!" Sam cried, reaching out for him but Tucker held her back, tears streaming down his cheeks, "Tucker! What the hell!? Let me go! Danny don't do it!"

"Take me." The black-haired Fenton boy said lightly, his voice shaking as though he were holding back tears, "Take me, instead of Sam, take me. Please. I'm begging you."

Phantom considered him, green eyes flickering, a confused look on his pale, perfect features. His hand dropped to his side.

"You would give yourself up to me; the Guardian of the Forest, Phantom, the most moody and easy-to-cross Elemental Guardian on the planet; for the life of one, pathetic, whimpering, sobbing, greedy, human, girl?"

"I'm human too." Danny snapped, "And I…I care. Just let them leave. Take me."

"You are a strange one, human." Phantom muttered, "Most of your kind would give up someone else's life to save their own but you…"

"Danny! Please!" Sam had sagged into Tucker's arms by now, bawling, reaching, unable to get to him, "Don't do it! This was my fault! Danny! Damn it, I love you!"

"I love you too, Sam." He whispered, his back still to her, "And that's why I'm doing this. For you. For Amity. But mostly because I love you."

"Alright, I'll take you, boy, because I admire your spirit and would like to make it part of my precious forest."

"NNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

Vines whipped out of the underbrush behind Phantom and snatched Danny off the ground, tearing his cloths from his body and jabbing their thorny ends into his flesh. Danny cried out and writhed in the air, almost a specter against the dark backdrop.

"What are you doing to him!?" Tucker screamed seeing as the only thing Sam could say now was 'no' over and over again, "What the hell are you doing to him!?"

"Silence." Phantom closed his eyes and tilted his head back, "His spirit is joining the forest. He is mine." Green eyes suddenly blazed open, "What!? What is this!? What is he doing!?"

Sparks of bottle green electricity were sparking off of Danny's naked body as he twisted about, screaming. They zapped along the lengths of the vines and Phantom was suddenly on his knees, clutching his head, screaming as well.

"What is he doing!? Stop it! My forest!" His form flickered into translucency, "No! No, you can't! I'm a Guardian! You can't **do** this!" He started breaking apart into little glowing spheres of emerald light, "Noooooooooo! My fffooooooorrrrressssssttt!" He exploded. Spheres of light went everywhere. Danny was gone; vanished like the vines that had held him. Sam starred at the empty forest before her as the shadows lifted and the sunlight shot back into the forest, lighting up the scene, making the spheres of light disappear.

"Danny…?" Her voice cracked, "Danny…?"

Tucker's eyes were wide, his glasses barely hanging onto his face, his arms slack but Sam was in too much shock to go anywhere. After what felt like an eternity of starring and Sam repeating their friend's name over and over again, Tucker finally snapped himself to his senses.

"Sam, we have to get out of here!" He tugged at her but she was in a state of shock, "Come on! We have to **move**!"

"Danny…"

"No! Danny's gone! Danny's gone, okay! We just have to leave! We have to get out of here, Sam…! We have to leave…!" He pulled at her half-heartedly, tears streaming down his face, "Let's go…! Come on…!"

Thick heavy clouds rolled across the sky, thunder crashed, and it started to rain. Soon, the two were caught in a downpour. The cold sky-water seemed to wake Sam from her state. She stood shakily, looking at Tucker and the boy nodded and they took off. Lightning blazes across the sky as they ran back into Amity. The two parted ways, both heading towards their own homes, and knowing in a silent agreement of sorts that they would have to tell Danny's parents what had happened. That they had gotten Danny killed.

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

_Wh…what it this…? Sam? Tucker?_

_**No…**_

_Where am I? The Ghost Wood? Where is everyone?_

_**No, no, no! Look what you have done, foolish human child!**_

_Me!? What did I do!?_

_**You've destroyed me! ME! An Elemental Guardian!**_

_Then how are we still in the Ghost Wood?_

_**We are one with the forest. Our spirits reside in every part of it. **_

_No…! No! I can't…! Sam! Tucker! Someone help! _

_**Shut up! No one can hear you!**_

_There has to be a way! There just has to! I can't stay like this! People need me out there!_

_**There is one way…though you may be more unwilling to do it than I…**_

_What? What, tell me!_

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

"Tucker? Tucker, you're soaking wet! Where you playing out in the rain with-Tucker, where are you going? Tucker…! Tucker!"

Tucker ignored his mother shouts and yanked the sliding door shut across the threshold to his small bedroom, clasping it shut and then turning to face his room. It seemed, hollow, empty, unreal. Like something was missing. Danny. Danny was missing. Tucker slowly peeled off his soaking garments, tossing them to the wooden floor without a second thought, and slumped onto the pile of worn blankets and pillows he called a bed though it was more like a nest than a bed. Bits of old machinery and wires and tools lay scattered everywhere but Tucker didn't mind, he liked his technology.

"Danny thought it was cool too…" He whispered to himself as a clap of thunder shook the house; the rain on the metal roof sounded like thousands and thousands of tiny fairy feet running across the top, "Danny believed in fairies too…Danny believed a lot of things but why the hell wouldn't he believe in the stupid Guardian!? GAAAAHH!" Tucker snatched up the nearest object at hand (a wrench) and whipped it across the room, tears flying from his eyes, screaming, "Damn it…!" He fell back, burying his face in his pillows, "That idiot…I hate that stupid Guardian…!"

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

_You're not serious. Is that even possible?_

_**Yes, it is. The Guardian of Fire has ended up the same way but that was due to a mistake on his part.**_

_So, I'll be able to live again?_

_**Technically, we never died, but yes, we would live again. **_

_Would I still be me?_

_**That is something I cannot be sure of. Maybe, maybe not. **_

_I…I don't know…I'm a little…scared…_

_**Fear is nothing to feel ashamed about. **_

_A…alright…_

_**Take my hand…**_

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

Bare feet squished in the thick muddy path, rain trickled over a thin, pale, wiry frame, crystal blue eyes lit with a flash of lightning before fading back into the darkness. The stumbling figure tripped and fell into a puddle, mud splashing over their body, and they scrambled to their feet, shivering, running their hands up and down their bare arms. Then they continued on their way, moving awkwardly down the empty path, past the silent houses, into the pounding rain.

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

Jazz was sitting on a chair in the kitchen at the worn wooden table, scribbling things into a well used notebook as her parents toiled away in the lab, both ignoring the storm outside. Jazz was worried about Danny. He still hadn't come home. Most probably, he had gone over to Tucker's house and was spending the night and had forgotten to tell anyone. Or he had told Jack and Jack had forgotten. It was probable.

A light, slightly hesitant tapping on the door jerked her from her thoughts and she closed the notebook, stood and walked over to the door, pulling it open. Someone fell, face first, over the threshold and didn't move.

"Danny!" Jazz exclaimed, dragging her little brother inside and quickly closing the door, "Danny, answer me! Are you okay! Talk to me! Say something! Anything!"

But the boy was out cold. He was pale, ragged, covered in mud, soaked to the bone, shivering even though he was unconscious, and unclothed. Jazz snatched a thick blanket from the room next door and wrapped him up in it, laying him in front of the fire and pushing his sopping bangs out of his face. Then she ran for her mother.

-------

_You didn't really think I was going to kill Danny, did you? But what's happened to him now? I have no idea. Sam and Tucker think Danny's dead because of what happened in the Ghost Wood but he's obviously alive and at home, albeit a little naked and wet._

_And there! I did a scene with Tucker! I feel better now. Poor Tuck, he's going to beat himself up over this, isn't he?_

_Please leave me a review and tell me what you thought! Reviews bring forth the almighty next chapter and makes the light bulbs in your homes work! _


	3. Chapter 3

_This is really addicting. Stupid snow days. Never thought you'd hear that, huh? Yeah, well, I'm dead bored. I wish I could watch Danny Phantom…_

_And I know I have said it before but I feel I must say it again: I do not think that Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom are two different people! _

_On a completely separate and different note, I'd like to send out my thanks to EmptyHeart who has been beta reading this for me and who gave me the rights (so to speak) to what I call the Fabric of Unreality. She's convinced she'd never do anything with it. Thank you so much, Empty! _

**Earthdance**

--Hold on to the fragile string of reality, it does not bode well to live only in your dreams.--

3: The Boy Called Danny Phantom

Danny had been moved up to his room. Not that he knew that. All he knew was the endless sleep that was consuming him and the fever that was burning away at his body. Flickers of dreams flashed across his mind's eye but only stayed for a few seconds before vanishing back into the dark depths of his feverish mind. Maddie had stayed by his side the whole night but she needed sleep as well and so, as Jack went off to get the doctor, Jazz was left to take care of her sick little sibling. But she was resting, taking a break from Danny's strange, confused, mumbling rants, and was down in the kitchen, making some lunch. She should not have left him alone.

The teen was tossing and turning in his sleep, his thumps muffled by the numerous blankets surrounding him, his moans muted by the thick curtain and the rain that was still pounding heavily upon the roof. Jazz couldn't even hear him from the kitchen. As he continued to roll around, clawing at his own fevered body, he flopped onto his stomach, burying his face into his pillow, panting, groaning. Something writhed under his skin and he arched his back painfully, whatever it was twisting like a bunch of worms. His pale, sweaty flesh split and thin green vines sprouting white flowers whipped into the air, cascading petals like the rain showering down upon them. The vines coiled upwards towards the wooden beams of the ceiling, looping around them and hauling the unconscious Danny into a vertical position.

The boy hung limply, his toes just barley brushing the floor, the vines coming out of his back still shedding white petals. More vines sprouted from his arms, curling around them and lacing through his fingers, wrapping across his chest, sliding down his legs, twisting together as they covered his feet and latching firmly to the floor. Danny whimpered, struggling slightly, still asleep, still burning with fever, as the flowered vines curved around his neck and over his face. What was left of Danny Fenton appeared to be a cocoon of emerald vines spotted with white flowers hanging from the ceiling and held securely in place at the base. White petal littered the blankets and wooden floor.

"Danny, are you awake yet? I'll bring you some food if you-DANNY!" Jazz screamed in terror. Danny was gone! Or he was inside that…that **thing** that looked like something a spider wrapped its prey in before it ate it! Jazz screamed again and started pulling at the vines which immediately grew sharp, dangerous thorns. One scraped her hand, leaving a deep cut, and she pulled back, clutching her bleeding palm.

"The Ghost Wood…!" She whispered, her eyes wide, "No…! It's spreading…! It's going to consume Amity…!"

"_**Don't be stupid."**_ Said a familiar voice that seemed to come from nowhere and Jazz froze, _**"My forest doesn't devour innocents."**_

"Who…who is that? Who's talking?"

"_**It's me, Jazz. Danny. Danny Phantom."**_

"Phantom? What?"

"_**I'll explain later. Right now, my forest; the Ghost Wood; is helping me heal. I got sick in the rain after Phantom brought me back. Don't worry Jazz. Tell Mom and Dad not to worry. And tell Sam and Tucker I'm okay. I just…need…to sleep…"**_

The voice died away and Jazz starred at the mass of vines and flowers. Her little brother was in there. The Ghost Wood, where the Guardian of the Forest resided, was helping him to get better? It really didn't make sense. It took everything she had not to tear away at the plant-thing again.

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

Inside the healing cocoon, Danny Fenton (or was he Phantom now?) was curled into a little ball, vines sprouting from his back and arms, leading into the twisted intricacy of the covering shell. His eyes were closed but he wasn't exactly sleeping; it was a sort of dream-like state he floated in, images flashing through his mind. Suddenly, there was a brilliant flash of white light and he was back in the Ghost Wood. Only he knew it wasn't really the **real** Ghost Wood, it was a dream Ghost Wood. Phantom stood before him.

"We're going to be one, after this." He muttered, his arms crossed over his bare chest, starring up through the leaves at the sunlight streaming through, "You'll have to protect my forest. And your town."

"I know." Danny walked up and stood next to him, looking skyward as well, "I'm not so sacred anymore. It was a little scary last night and this fever I could do without but, I don't know, it doesn't seem frightening. Just sort of…calm."

Phantom let a small smile trace his perfect, pale lips and he took Danny's hand in his own. The Guardian's skin was like ice and at first, Danny wanted to pull away but decided against it. It wasn't going to make a difference.

"We'll have to learn how to control our powers all over again." He sighed, "What a pain. Maybe I should have called Ghostwriter. Or Clockwork."

"Who are they?"

"Fellow Guardians. Two of the three that I get along with the most; I guess you could call them friends. The others our just friendly acquaintances. Minus Plasmius."

"Plasmius?"

"Stay away from him; he's the Guardian of Fire and he hates me. I never did find out why. But he's like us, part Guardian and part human. Don't worry, he hasn't shown up in over 150 years when Clockwork, Ghostwriter, and Frostbite helped me beat him back from burning up the human race."

"He hates humans, even though he's part human?"

"Yes, it's a mystery why, though."

"I hate mysteries…" Danny muttered and tugged down on Phantom's hand, telling the Guardian he wanted to sit down on the grass. The two lay down and Danny slipped his fingers out of Phantom's icey grasp and tucked his hands behind his head, eyes closed in a serene sort of way, enjoying the peace that was surrounding him.

"What are you going to tell your friends?"

"I dunno…" He didn't feel like thinking of anything right then, just relaxing, "Hey, Phantom, are we going to be…I mean, how is this going to work?"

"How is what going to work?"

"Us being one, how's it going to work? I mean, will we be two separate people in the same body or will we create someone entirely new? How did it work for Plasmius?"

"Plasmius' name wasn't always what it was. His human host was called Vlad Masters. I'm not sure how they actually bonded but I heard it was some sort of accident. Anyway, Plasmius was once called Molten but when he fused with Vlad, he became Plasmius." Danny opened his eyes and looked at the Guardian of the Forest, Phantom had a worried look on his face, his green eyes flooded with something like fear, "I hate fire. It scares the living spitfire out of me…!"

They fell into an awkward silence again and after a while, Danny felt something tugging at the edge of his mind. He sat up and looked around. The forest seemed to be pulling back, sliding away from them like the scenery going by on a scooter.

"Wh-what's happening?" The black haired boy leapt up, alarmed, and felt the icey hand on his shoulder. He turned and found Phantom smiling at him.

"You're waking up." He stepped closer, his face inches from Danny's own, his breath like the frosty winter air that smelled of frozen pine trees and ice crystals, "You know Danny, you're not so bad, for a human. You're spirit is what makes you special and your loyalty to your friends and family. I haven't seen loyalty like that for over ten thousand years." He grasped Danny's hands and leaned into him, Danny's blue eyes were wide.

"What're you doing?"

"Becoming you…" Phantom breathed, his eyes sliding closed, "It's okay…" His cold fingers slid up Danny's arms and flickered, like a dying candle flame, "Protect my forest, Danny…protect it with every shred of your being…"

"Ah…okay…" Danny nodded vacantly, still scared out of his mind. The forest had faded away and now Phantom was too, "Hey Phantom…are you…are you gonna…"

"Shhhhhh…." The Guardian whispered and then fell right into Danny, his body a translucent pale white-green. Like a phantom.

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

Jazz had been sitting by the bizarre plant-cocoon thing that contained her little brother for almost two hours and nothing had happened. She'd cleaned up all the white petals that had been all over the floor, gotten into a screaming match with her parents when they found out what the hell was going on, and then had tried to find Sam and Tucker but they seemed to not want to see anybody. So now, here she was with Jack and Maddie, perched on the hard wooden floor of the loft, starring at the plant cocoon that held Danny Fenton. Every time they had gotten too close, it had lashed out at them with vines or thistles.

"Hello?" Said a familiar voice and Jazz pushed a bit of the curtain that was covering the loft aside and stuck her head over the edge, red hair falling over her shoulder.

"Tucker! Sam! Hey!" She half-smiled, "Come on up! It's okay, my parents are up here too…!"

"Jazzy, are you sure they should see this!?" Maddie's muffled voice came and Jazz frowned over her shoulder.

"Mom, it's okay, they're Danny's best friends! They have a **right** to see! Dad! Don't touch it!"

"OW!"

"See!" Jazz turned back to the two teens who looked extremely nervous, frightened, and upset, "Look, there's something weird going on with Danny and he's not, er, feeling well right now so-."

"WE KILLED DANNY!" Tucker suddenly screamed, clutching at Sam, "WE'RE SO SORRY! WE'RE REALLY, REALLY SORRY!"

"What?" Jazz raised an eyebrow, "What're you going on about? Danny came home last night. Come on, I'll prove it to you." She motioned for Tucker and Sam to climb up into the loft and then ducked back behind the curtain. The two glanced at each other but scrambled up the ladder. It took every bit of Tucker's concentration not to scream and faint right then and there.

"What…what **is** that!?" Sam gasped, stepping closer but Jazz stopped her.

"Danny's in there, that's all I know. He told me to tell you that he's okay and that everything's going to be alright. But you can't get close to it or it'll hurt you. See," She pointed to her father who was sucking on his bruised fingers where a vine had snapped across them, "It's like a defense mechanism of some kind."

"I don't care, I want to see Danny!" Sam pushed past the oldest Fenton sibling and stepped right up to the cocoon. Nothing lashed out at her, "Danny?" She whispered, placing her hands on it, the thorns shrinking away beneath her touch, "Danny, can you hear me in there? I'm sorry for what I did and I just want you to forgive me. I'm so sorry. I'm glad you're alright but I…I just…"

"Don't cry Sam, I forgive you…!" Said a muffled voice from inside the cocoon, "You might want to step back now, I'm coming out…!"

Sam moved back, glancing over her shoulder at Jazz, Jack, Maddie, and Tucker, who looked absolutely terrified. A sort of ripping noise caught her attention again and she turned her lilac eyes on a strange sight. The cocoon of vines was splitting open, parting like the pages of a book. Brilliant white petals unfolded as the vines unwove themselves, detaching from the ceiling and swinging down to support the blooming floor. And curled in a glass-like sphere in the middle of the flower, some of the vines shrinking back into his body, was Danny. His eyes flickered open and the glass-like sphere split apart, folding down into two halves, and Danny stretched, standing up in the middle of the flower and yawning loudly. Then he noticed his family and friends and smiled.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" They starred at him in shock, mouths hanging open, eyes wide, "What? Is there something on my face?" His pale fingers touched his cheek, a smile still on his face, "What?"

"Danny…" Sam choked, starring at him, "We…we…we thought…we though you were dead…! We thought you were gone forever…!"

To her embarrassment, the girl felt tears welling in her eyes and angrily brushed at them. Danny leapt from the flower and landed lightly on the floor, dressed in nothing but his boxers, walking over to Sam and grabbing her hand in his own. She started at his icey touch.

"Sam, don't you dare f-ing cry on me, you hear…!" His breath was cold, frosty, like a winter's breeze, and smelled of frozen pine trees and a freshwater stream, "If you cry, then I'll cry, and then Tucker will cry, and then we'll all start crying and it'll all just be a great big mess!"

"Dude!" Tucker screamed, falling over and pointing a shaking finger at him, "Have you **seen** yourself!? You're like, I dunno, **weird**!"

"Tucker Foley!" Maddie slapped his hand and he yelped, taking it back and scowling, "Don't you dare point your finger at my son like he's some sort of freak!"

"Danny!" Jack swept Danny up in a huge hug and Sam thought she heard the boy's back crack, "Love what you've done with your hair!"

"Wh-what!?" The fourteen year old pushed himself out of his father's grasp and rubbed his back, "What are you talking about!?"

"Danny, you just look different, that's all." Jazz pulled an old mirror out from her side of the loft and hefted to towards him. He peered at it and he went even paler, if it were possible. A streak of white ran through his black hair, like a lightning bolt of light, and his left eye was a brilliant neon green, the other his usual crystal blue.

"Whoa…!" He muttered, running his fingers through his hair, "Whoa…!" He looked at Sam and Tucker, "I mean…whoa…!"

"But, there is one thing I wanna know," Tucker said, interrupting the moment of discovery and reunion, getting to his feet, "Where did Phantom go?"

Danny grinned,

"Right here." He tapped his chest, "I'm Phantom. Danny Phantom."

------

_I have to apologize for how long that took me to write but I got stuck on it and couldn't figure out where to go with it. So it ended up being terribly lame._

_So, now Danny's the Guardian of the Forest, what is going to happen __**next**__!? Who knows? Will Sam, Tucker, Jazz, Jack, and Maddie all reject him horribly for his new, er, powers!? Yeah, right. Dang, I gotta get more people in here. Where the hell are Dash and everyone else? Hm, where's Lancer? If anyone has any ideas for other AU towns people, feel free to throw them at me. _

_Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! Reviews make the sparkles in your mini lava lamp sparkle:D_


	4. Chapter 4

_Ah! I'm sorry I took so long for an update! Please forgive me! I was really, really busy recently with life and all that crap so, yeah, you know. I think. So, all that aside, I believe you're eagerly awaiting the start of the next chapter, right? So, let's go!_

**Earthdance**

--Turn around, stare death in the face, and say 'hello reality'.--

4: Earth's Confrontation; My Self Control

"Danny, come **on**, it's like we're walking into a war zone!" Sam groaned, glaring up at the drawn curtain over the loft where Danny was cowering, "Come out of your stupid plant and let's go!"

"It's not stupid," He grumbled but didn't come out, "I happen to sleep there, Sam, and I don't want to go outside, what if someone stares at me?"

"Daniel Fenton!" Sam snapped, stomping her foot on the floor, "Get down here right now or I'm coming up there and dragging you down, dressed or not!"

There was a moment of disgruntled silence and then some shuffling and then Danny started scrambling down the ladder only to slip and end up on his stomach on the floor. Sam hid a smile behind her hand and helped him to his feet. The streak of white still ran through his hair and his left eye was still that neon green but he still acted like good old Danny the Klutz, even with the powers of a Guardian inside him.

A faint blush crept into Danny's pale cheeks as he grasped her hand in his own, holding it tightly. His skin was icy, it had been since he'd woken up, and his breath was cool and fresh, and his features had been slightly altered; he looked like an angel, a beautiful marble angel without its wings that had come to life. Just for her. Sam pressed her forehead against his and he slowly wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close, cool breath whispering against her neck. Her skin prickled and she looked into his opposite colored eyes. They were inches apart…mere inches…a centimeter separated them…she leaned closer, her eyes beginning to close and-.

"Hey, Lovebirds, save it for the picnics in the Ghost Wood!" Tucker's voice made them jump apart, "Ha! You should have seen your faces!" He started laughing and Danny's face went from white to red in about the space of three seconds.

"Sh-shut up Tucker!" He stuttered, still clutching Sam's hand, "You big jerk!"

"Aw, cut it out, you two!" Sam tugged on Danny's hand and dragged him out the door, "Let's go already, the sun isn't going to stop in the sky for us!"

The sunlight was blinding to Danny, at first, since he'd spent more time than usual cooped up in his home but as soon as his eyes adjusted his spirits lifted and he forgot that he was no longer just Danny Fenton. He jumped ahead of Sam and Tucker, skipping down the path, leaping agilely over crevasses and mounds of rock.

"Danny!" Tucker shouted as he and Sam raced to catch up, "Danny, hold on, you're going to fast!"

But the boy hadn't seemed to hear him and was now walking along a low stone wall, his arms pinwheeling comically. Then, he vanished. Sam and Tucker skidded to a halt and looked around. He'd disappeared!

"Danny?" Sam called, "Danny?" She looked up, "Tucker! Look, there he is! How the hell did he get up there…!?"

Shielding his eyes from the sun, Tucker followed Sam's gaze up a metal pole that towered above some of the bigger houses. It had been, apparently, at one time the support beam of a huge metal building that had long since fallen and now rose out of the ruins like a memorial to the fallen. And standing on top of it, his hands in his pockets, leaning forward slightly, gazing out over the horizon, was Danny. There was no mistaking the wild tangle of black (and now white) hair that was being whipped by a wind the two on the ground could not feel and the familiar arch of the back, the way he moved, it was Danny.

"Those Elemental Guardian powers must be kicking in full force!" Tucker commented, readjusting his glasses and then going back to starring up at Danny, "Do you think he even realizes he's up there?"

"Who knows but I'd hate to call his name and make him fa-opps, jinxed him." Sam muttered, "What a klutz."

Danny was swaying on top of the pole, arms flailing wildly, one leg sticking out into space, the other trying franticly to keep his balance on the pole. It was all to no avail. He slipped and went tumbling head over heels through the air. Tucker and Sam screamed his name and ran forward, trying to get to him before he hit the ground in what would surely be a life-ending impact. But their help was not needed; Danny swiveled about in mid-air and landed silently on the ground on all fours like a cat.

"Danny, are you okay!?"

"Danny! Crap, what the hell was that!?"

"I…I…" Danny stuttered with his words, scrambling to his feet, looking from the ground where he'd landed to the pole he'd fallen from, "I…I dunno, I just sort of acted on instinct and…and I…I-."

"Hey Fenton! Nice hair! You look like a rat's rear end!" A hoot of laughter and Danny groaned, his shoulders sagging, as Dash Baxter, local bully who particularly liked Danny as the target, appeared around a corner with his lackey Kwan in tow.

"Get off of it, Dash!" Sam snapped at the bigger boy, grabbing Danny's hand as Tucker ducked behind both of them, "Leave him alone, he's had a hard day!"

Dash laughed,

"Got your little girlfriend to fight your battle for you, Fenton!" The blonde sneered, leering over the trio, "Oooooh, little wussy boy!" He reached past Sam and grabbed Danny's shoulder only to yelp in pain and let go, leaping back starring at his hand, "You little…what the hell did you do!?"

"Wh-what!?" Danny was starring at his shoulder where Dash had grabbed him, "What is this!? What's going on!?" A green thorn was protruding from his skin, sprouting up, sharp as a dagger, gleaming slightly with a bit of Dash's blood.

"You freak!" Kwan shouted, backing away, Dash almost running him over as he tried to run, "What the hell are you!?" And he raced off behind the other bully.

"Danny…" Sam turned around to face him and found tears trickling down his face, his hand grasping the thorn on his shoulder and pulling on it, "Danny, stop it!" Danny ignored her and snapped the thorn off his shoulder, screaming in pain as he did, a spurt if red blood sliding from the hole that he'd ripped in his skin.

"Danny!" Tucker started to grab at his friend but Danny shook his head, leapt to his feet, one hand still over the bleeding hole in his shoulder, and dashed off towards the forest. Sam and Tucker took off after him but he was definitely faster than he had been before and by the time they caught up with him in the middle of the Ghost Wood, they were completely out of breath.

"Danny?" Sam gasped, leaning against a tree trunk, "Danny, come on out, we're not scared of you…! You're hurt and need attention!"

"Come on, man," Tucker has supporting himself by resting his hands on his knees, doubled over, wheezing to get his breath back, "You know you're still our friend no matter what happens!"

"Danny's not here…!" A familiar voice muttered sullenly from above them, "Go away. Get out of my forest. I want to be alone."

"Damn it, Danny!" Sam scrambled up the tree she'd been leaning against and poked her head through the leaves, coming face to face with a pair of brilliant green eye and a shock of snow white hair, "Whoa…!" She composed herself as those glowing emerald eyes flooded with tears, "No, no, Danny, look, there's nothing wrong with you, come on down from there. I still love you…!"

"No." Danny Phantom muttered, turning away, and Sam could see the vines twisting down from the upper branches of the tree, curled all up his arm and shoulder, "I don't want to go back there, they'll all hate me for what I am."

"Your parents don't hate you!" Tucker shouted from the forest floor, "We don't hate you! Dash and Kwan are just stupid!"

Danny made noise halfway between a whimper and a growl and glanced back over his shoulder, those green eyes locking with Sam's lilac ones. Sam reached out and touched his cheek. It was like touching a frozen piece of glass and she lost feeling in her fingertips immediately but she didn't take her hand away. Danny needed them. Danny's hand, the one that wasn't covered in vines, grasped her fingers and spread the chill.

"Danny, we're your best friends and no matter what happens we're still there for you." Sam's cheeks flushed with how corny this was all sounding, "A-and we're not scared of you and neither are Jazz or your parents. We all love you, we don't care that you're the Guardian of the Forest now. You're still our Danny."

"I'm being stupid, huh?" The vines on his arm slunk back up into the tree, revealing the wound to be completely healed, not a scar left behind, "I'm sorry guys, I just…I'm just really scared by these, by what's going on." His vibrant green eyes faded into crystal blue, "I wish Phantom were here to help," A grin split his features as his hair went from white to gray to pitch black, "But you guys are twice as good as he was…!"

Sam smiled but it quickly vanished as Danny lost his center of gravity on the tree branch and tumbled off, knocking into her, and sending them both to the ground on top of the unfortunate Tucker.

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

Miles and miles away from Amity and the Ghost Wood, someone was pacing furiously back and forth in a dimly lit chamber, the most that was visible of them was their outline, a black silhouette in the faded light. The air in the room was thick and heavy, hot to the boiling point, but the figure didn't seem to notice, they continued to weave their way from one wall to the other, walking around a low table and a single chair, the only decorations of any kind.

Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, the figure stopped moving and looked up, a pair of glowing red eyes burning in the gloom. They stood stock still, gazing at something no one else could see, barely breathing. And then, a split second after they had frozen, they moved, this time towards one of the walls, and swept a hand over it, causing the wall to slide away, and they stepped into a hallway lit brightly by globes of light floating all over the ceiling.

"It's ready. For sure this time." Said the man that had exited the room, talking to himself since there was no one else, "And I must use it now."

Vlad 'Plasmius' Masters was tall and thin, whether his Guardian power was fully active or not. Currently, caught up in a rage and his mind working fervently, he was in the form he had obtained from Molten; black hair, a streak of dark gray in the middle, pointed into spikes, ash-gray skin, and flaming red eyes. But once the darkness in Vlad's heart had corrupted Molten, effectively making him Plasmius, he'd sprouted a nice set of fangs and claws to go with his hatred of the human race.

And it wasn't just humans he hated either. He hated Phantom. But that hate wasn't originally Vlad's, it had come with the package when he'd fused with Molten. Why Molten loathed Phantom with such a passion was something Vlad had never discovered but he had nursed that frothing pool of odium with his own malicious desires. Molten wanted revenge on Phantom for something, Vlad wanted power, and so, quite by accident, Vlad Masters and Molten the Guardian of Fire had become Plasmius the Guardian of Fire. Hate was his weapon, his drive, his motive, his reason, and his vision. Hate that went so deep it burned like the flames he controlled, taking down anything it came into contact with, as dark and twisted as Hell itself. And Plasmius loved it. The feeling of raw power seeping from the immense detestation within him sent chills through his body, made him feel invincible.

"And now vengeance will be oh so much sweeter…!" Plasmius hissed, his temper dwindling, his spiked hair falling back over his shoulders of its own accord, fading into a silvery gray, "But I must act quickly," His flaming red eyes flickered into turquoise, his fangs shrank back, "Just because it will be easier to catch the little rat doesn't mean I should wait. Someone else must have heard by now." The human formed Guardian swept into a huge laboratory, pinning his hair into a loose ponytail that swung down to the middle of his back, and readjusting his midnight black suit with clawless hands, "No doubt the idiot Clockwork is rushing over there as we speak, well I can't have him goading the little brat into being all goody-goody now can I?"

The man strolled up to a panel of steel and ran his fingers over it lovingly. Lost technology; over hundreds of years of it, buried miles beneath the ground and those moronic Guardians had failed to notice. Kudos to him for finding it…and making it his own. It had taken a while for him to understand how to use it but once he had he started his plans. The plans to capture Phantom.

"And now that the little monster is part human this will make things so much simpler!" Vlad clapped his hands together and started typing away, turning knobs, and pushing buttons, "As soon as this is set…you're mine!"

-------

_Alright, time for some explanations. Danny and Vlad, both being one with Guardians, take on the appearance of the Guardian they 'fused' with (hence Danny's eyes and hair changing back and forth) but they can also use a little bit of power without switching forms (hence Danny sprouting a thorn from his shoulder). But their cloths do not change! Whatever they are wearing when they 'transform' is what they're stuck with! And the whole thing with Danny having the white streak and one green eye was because he still was not completely one with Phantom. Ah, and I couldn't remember what color Vlad's eyes were so now their turquoise. Shoot me._

_And the truth is out…! Sort of. Whatever Vlad 'Plasmius' Masters is planning it can't be good, right? On a side note, I really don't think (and EmptyHeart agrees with me on this) that Vlad is a bad guy. I have a slightly unstable belief that he's a rich, bored guy with gone-sour-powers and too much time on his hands. And an unhealthy obsession with Maddie. Which does not present itself in this fic. _

_Whew! That's got to be the longest A/N I've ever done…! Please leave me a review! More chapters will magically spawn and it gets Tucker free PDAs:) _


	5. Chapter 5

_Since I seem to be getting a lot more response to this fan fiction than I am from 'Fabric of Unreality', I guess I'll be working on this one more often. Besides, we're getting to the good stuff and I'd hate to cut it off now…! Be afraid…be very afraid…_

**Earthdance**

--The struggle for power never ceases; it is an endless war that all are caught up in. Even the innocent are lost to its black depths.--

5: Storm of White Petals

High on windy peak that seemed to over look the entire land, far from Amity, a solid cold wind tossed whirlwinds of snow through the air. Blindingly thick, the snow swirled and to anyone hypnotized by these dances, it could easily look as though there were ghostly figures dancing through the blizzard, weaving in and out of sight. But to Frostbite, the Guardian of Ice, it was just a blizzard, the elements around him reacting rather erratically to his unease but it wasn't just him this time.

"Ember, I told you to stop tailing me…" The great wolf-like creature said in gravelly, deep voice without turning away from the view that stretched before him, "So come out."

"I don't like it." The young woman stepped out from behind some towering rocks, her vibrant blue-green hair tossed around behind her, "The wind is whispering things to me, I can hear it."

"Of course you can, you're the Guardian of the Wind." Frostbite replied, scratching his snout with his ice arm, through which bone and muscle was clearly visible. The two stood side by side, gazing out over the cliff edge at the land laid out before them like painting on the floor. Ember's navy blue eyes narrowed as she listened to words only she could hear.

"Plasmius is moving." She muttered and Frostbite glanced at her, his fur bristling with some hidden Guardian instinct.

"Can you tell what he is planning?"

"No, only that he's moving. And very quickly. I don' know what's going on, I can't find Clockwork and Phantom is being as difficult as ever." She stomped a foot on the ground, sending up a swirl of snow into the already churning white, "Little insolent dipstick…! He doesn't realize that his snooty little 'privacy issues' could get him into trouble!"

"It's nice to know that you care."

"I don't care! He's just annoying!"

"Is that why you obsess over him?"

"I don't obsess!"

"You're a terrible liar, Ember."

"Oh, go give yourself a bath, you great kitten."

"That stung."

"I'll bet."

There was a sort of awkward silence between the two. These sort of arguments often ensued whenever the Frostbite and Ember conversed, they were like a pair of siblings, squabbling over the silliest things. But they had lived together on that mountain for centuries and had a very strong bond, a bond that they also shared with Johnny, the Guardian of Rock, who had made himself a rather intricate home in a cave at the base of their mountain. Ember, being the Guardian of the Wind, had freedom across the land and could easily contact the other Guardians with her powers, though some of them, like Phantom, had found ways of stopping her wind from finding them, an almost impossible thing to do.

"Did you tell everyone else about him, Plasmius, I mean?" The Guardian of Ice turned away from the scenic sight and headed down into the crevice the two called home, "I'm sure Ghostwriter and Fright want to hear about it, especially Fright. You know how he is."

"Yes, I told them, quit bugging me, I'm trying to get to Phantom…!" Ember frowned as she trailed after Frostbite, "Way is he being such a stubborn little pain in the a-."

"Perhaps it's time you actually brought your harp out."

Ember seemed to think about it for a moment or two and then leapt ahead of the Guardian of Ice, slipping down into the crevice and beginning to rummage through blankets and other trinkets she'd managed to get her hands on. Frostbite watched her with mild interest, his ears back with the restlessness that slithered through him; something bad was in the works.

"There," Ember had finally settled back, a small, stringed instrument of gold, its strings shining with silver, tucked into her arms, "I'll play. I'll call them all. But I can't tell how long it will take, maybe days, so no talking to me…!"

Frostbite rolled his eyes and rolled over onto his side, his back to her, closing his eyes and trying to fall asleep. A few moments later he heard the eerie melodic tune that was being created by Ember's slim fingers tracing over the delicate strings of her harp. It was the calling song and there was no denying it; every Guardian would hear it and be drawn to it and would come. Except Plasmius; he could hear the music but resist its call because of the human within him.

"Hey, I heard someone playing, what's up guys?" Johnny, or Johnny 13 as some of the other Guardians called him for his usual blunders, slid into the crevice and fell on top of Frostbite. The Ice Guardian snarled and shoved the Rock Guardian off of him, sending the humanoid figure into a pile of snow.

"Plasmius is up to something." Frostbite grumbled as Johnny pulled himself from the snow bank and brushed the white stuff from his worn old trench coat, shaking it from his sandy hair, "And everyone needs to know."

"Well," Johnny plopped down and tucked his hands behind his head, a sly smile on his face, "Looks like this is going to be one hell of a party…!"

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

"Danny would you quit twitching, you look like you're having a fit or something!" Jazz snapped at her little brother as his fingers jerked slightly of their own accord and jolted the fork from his fingers, sending to clattering to the floor.

"I can't help it!" Danny slumped down in his chair at the table, "I keep hearing music! Can't you guys hear it?" He looked helplessly across the table at his sister and parents with innocent blue eyes.

"No, Danny, there's no music," Maddie blinked at him, pushing a lock of reddish hair from her face, "Maybe this is some sort of Guardian thing."

"I don't like it…!" Danny shoved his chair away from the table and stood up, "I'm going to bed!" And he stomped over to the ladder and started climbing, slipping on one of the rungs and smacking his head onto it. Cursing, he disappeared behind the curtain and silence fell thickly over the house. The family knew that he was now curled up inside the giant flower-like plant that he had first awoken in, the thing now serving as his bed.

"I wonder what's wrong with him…?" Jack said in a vague sort of way and the other two whipped around to stare at him, wondering at the statement, "Maybe he needs a cookie."

"Ah well, figures…" Jazz sighed but she turned her gaze up to the curtains, not stopping the worried expression that lit her features.

_Little brother…there's so much happening in such a short amount of time that I'm not so sure your fourteen year old spirit can handle it all. There's only so much the average human can withstand. But then, you're not so average anymore are you? I hope that everything will turn out okay, for the sake of all of us._

Upstairs (so to speak), Danny was curled in the glass-like sphere, the petals of his bed draped over it, the vines twisting around to hold it shut, protecting him. But the music was still there, ringing more in his mind than his ears, calling him, tugging at his heart, and so he lay in the darkness, eye wide open, starring at nothing, listening to the wordless song.

"What should I do?" He whispered after a long silence of listening to something it seemed only he could hear, "I'm hearing music, I'm sprouting thorns, I sleep in an f-ing plant, and I can change my hair color. What's going to happen to me?"

"_We're going to be one, after this._ _You'll have to protect my forest. And your town."_ He remembered Phantom telling him that and he squeezed his eyes shut. Maybe the forest needed his help, maybe that's what the song was. Something slithered over his legs and he cried out, kicking at it, but it was traveling up his waist and had soon consumed him. Screaming in panic, he twisted this way and that, tears burning in his eyes. And then whatever it was that had covered him began to slip away and he found himself standing in the middle of the Ghost Wood, the vines that had brought him there sliding back into the ground.

He took a deep breath of fresh clean air to calm himself down, drinking in the moonlight and starlight peeking through the leaves. His eyes flashed green in the night and his hair faded into white. Raising his arms towards the sky, he let a smile flit across his pale lips. Flowers, as pallid as his hair, sprouted around him, petals erupting into the air, swirling around him like a snow storm. He **was** the forest, Danny Phantom was the leaves, the bark, the undergrowth, the vines, the flowers, and everything in between. His glowing green eyes blazed brightly as he spun himself in circles, his hands still in the air, a huge grin on his face, flowers erupting to life around him.

"You'd flaunt your power so carelessly, Phantom?" Hissed a cold voice and Danny froze at the mention of the former Guardian's name, the back of his neck prickling with unease, he appeared to be alone, "Ah, so you can't control it all yet, you were just having some play time, interesting…"

"Wh-who are you!? Where are you!? Show yourself!"

"Insolent brat, you demand too much. How about a deal?"

"Deal? What do you mean?"

"You come with me or I burn Amity to the ground."

Danny felt a flood of dread fill him. Whoever this voice was, they were threatening his home, they knew about Phantom, and they knew he didn't know exactly how to use his Guardian powers! A hand clamped itself around his neck, a hand that was as hot as the metal grating over the stove during the winter. He moaned as it seared against his skin, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to focus on the problem but his mind wasn't working right, it kept running into a wall and that darn music was still in his head and he couldn't think straight…!

_Mom…Dad…_

"Answer me, boy, I don't just take, I ask first."

_Jazz…_

"I am losing patience…!"

_Tucker…Sam…_

The hand became tighter, almost cutting off his air supply, pointed nails scraping against his flesh and drawing little rivets of blood.

_Sam…Sam…my Sam…my precious, precious Sam…_

"SAM!" He cried, fingers clenching, "SAM!"

"Shut up!" He was jerked backwards, his cry cut off in a strangled yelp, "You don't know when to shut up, Phantom, you never did…!" An arm wrapped around his waist, pinning his arms to his side, the temperature of the flesh touching his own icey skin making him squirm and kick and whimper, it was too hot, "I really hate playing nasty but you leave me little choice…"

"Danny!?" Someone called his name, someone was crashing through the underbrush, "Danny, answer me! I know you're in here! Danny!?"

Whoever was holding him captive cursed with some words even the young Fenton didn't know and kicked off from the ground. Danny saw the forest rushing away from him and tried to scream but the hand that had been on his throat was over his mouth and he couldn't speak.

"How annoying," Grumbled the hate filled voice, "Let's just take care of them…"

An explosion of orange-white, heat like nothing he'd ever experienced before, screaming. Hot…! The forest was hot…! Burning! The Ghost Wood was on fire! Danny pulled so hard against the person's hold that he yanked his head back, freeing his mouth, and an unearthly screech of agony escaped into the night air, echoing above the roar of the flames that was tearing apart his forest, consuming him as well. He shrieked and writhed, his body in such an enormous amount of pain that he didn't even notice the tears streaming down his cheeks, the blood streaming from his nose, trickling out of the corners of his mouth. He was dying…the pain…the agony…he was being burned alive…his forest…his friends…his family…

_Sam…_

-------

_Ach! Morbid cliffhanger! I think it's pretty obvious who it is that's got Danny but, ahhh, I can't believe this…! I didn't mean for this situation to happen so quickly but I think it's going to be okay. The whole 'hot…the forest is hot' bit is almost a direct line from Origin. I love that movie. _

_All in all, this chapter may have actually been a bit choppy but otherwise I like how it turned out, especially the bit with Ember, Frostbite, and Johnny 13. Yeah, more Guardians! You'd think Ember would be the Guardian of Fire what with her name and all but for the purposes of this fan fiction she had to be Wind. _

_Please leave me a review! Reviews make the chapters come faster and maybe help me think of something else clever to put here! XD "I don't have a clever quip!" –Jack Fenton in Boxed Up Fury. _


	6. Chapter 6

_Trying to write this as fast as I can to make up for the horrible cliffhanger ending I left you good people with last time…! (dodges many sharp pointy objects) I'm working, I'm working! _

_Oh, and if anyone remembers the name of that weather controlling ghost in DP can you please tell me? The name is eluding myself and EmptyHeart. Thank you:D (oh, that was a bit of a spoiler…) Aw, crud, and I don't have reference pictures for most of the people so I'm writing from memory. Please forgive any off descriptions. Though I suppose I could throw in the excuse that it's an AU…_

**Earthdance**

--How do you know who your enemies are if you have never met them face to face?--

6: Anguish

The voices were all blending together, murmuring in the background of her mind, fading in and out, and she was unable to detangle full sentences, rather only snatches of the conversations going on around her. Her mind was fogged, her chest hurt, her body ached and stung and itched, the world spun if she so much as shifted slightly so she lay still and listened.

"--stolen--!?"

"--Danny's not--."

"--fire everywhere--!"

"--amazing that she's still alive--."

"--half the forest gone--."

"--horrible--."

She managed to piece together some information, including what she had remembered from last night. She recalled making her way over to the Fenton's to check on Danny and Jazz had told her that Danny had gone to bed. So, against the older girl's better judgment, she'd gone up the ladder to poke him awake for her own amusement. But when the flower had opened up, Danny wasn't there. Confused and a little panicked, she'd left the Fenton house and headed towards the Ghost Wood. That's when she'd heard her name being screamed. By him. And then the fire…

"Fire!" Sam cried, sitting up to quickly for the burns on her body to take and wincing in pain, "Danny…! Where's Danny!?"

"Sam, calm down, you're safe now-."

"I don't care! Where's Danny!?" The room was smeared into color, her head spun, and she had to sit very still for a few seconds before everything settled into focus. Several familiar faces loomed over her, particularly her parents' worried faces, and she realized she was in the local doctor's office. It hit her full force.

"Tucker!? Where's Tucker!? Is he okay!?"

"Sammie, calm down, Tucker's okay, he'll live," Her mother soothed, "But you caught the worst of the flames. What happened out there?"

"Danny, someone's kidnapped Danny!" Tears sprung unwillingly into Sam's eyes, "We have to save him! We have to!"

There was an awkward silence. Sam looked from one face to the next, searching for something, anything, that would hint that they all wanted to get Danny back too. Nothing. Several people started backing out of the room and Sam felt her chest tighten, the physical and heartbreaking pain stabbing at her already wounded spirit. Her fists clenched tightly on the sheets and she furiously kicked the blankets away, ignoring the way her head swam as she jumped to the floor and grabbed her boots that were waiting for her.

"Sam, don't be silly," Began her father, "You're in no condition to-."

"Shut up!" She cried, angrily brushing him aside, "None of you care!" And she stomped towards the door.

"Sam, hold up!" She glanced at Tucker who looked just as bad as she did, if not worse, and they exchanged a look of solid determination and loyalty. Time to go to the Ghost Wood. The pair dodged out the door and ran as fast as they could towards the forest. The adults watched them with slight unease etched onto their faces. The logical thing to do was to stop them but logical eludes those who fail to see hope.

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

"We're too late! All this time spent arguing and look what's happened! His forest is burned, he's probably in trouble somewhere, and Plasmius is at it again!"

"The dipstick never did like help, this is his fault in the first place!"

"That's out of line! All of us are too full of pride to admit we need help…!"

"All of that is beside the point; Phantom needs help and we are the only ones who can give it to him."

"Little bugger, he was always one for trouble."

"**I'm** not going after him! This is **his** problem! **He** can fix it!"

"Oh, yeah, and when Plasmius comes after you shall we all sit back and say the same thing? Hm?"

"Enough arguing! This isn't getting us anywhere, this situation is getting more dire by the second. Our squabbling isn't solving a thing!"

"What should we do!? What **can** we do!? Plasmius is more trouble than he's worth and-."

"I'll go get him."

An actual silence.

"You're…not kidding are you?"

"I don't kid in this sort of situation. This is serious and could easily endanger everything all of us have worked so hard to rebuild. I'll leave you seven to continue your arguing but I will **not** leave a brother to that monster who has the nerve to call himself a Guardian still."

Another silence as one of the figures in the group huddled in a cave turned to leave.

"Clockwork, wait."

The figure paused and two others stood to follow him.

"We're both coming. The others can start tracking down Plasmius, wherever he is, and we'll go with you to Phantom's forest to find out just how much damage the Guardian of Fire did."

"Indeed, the town is probably in turmoil. I'm surprised Plasmius didn't burn that too."

"It's obvious he needed leverage to control Phantom. Though the Guardian of the Forest would never admit it, he's grown quite attached to that humble little place."

"You three should go now if you intend on making it there at all. The more time that forest stays scarred, the worse off the little punk is going to be."

"Right, let's go."

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

Sam and Tucker could only stare, slack jawed, at the tortured empty space before them. It seemed that over a quarter of the beautiful Ghost Wood had been reduced to black and gray, piles of ash, scars of tree stumps, burnt flesh of animals, and an barren sort of wasteland that tugged at the heartstrings. Tears blurred Sam's vision and she backed away from the horrible sight, her fingers curled tightly onto the sleeve of her friend's shirt, dragging him back with her. Sam collapsed farther back in the forest, surrounded by trees, blocking the view of the blackened clearing.

"Sam, are you going to be okay?" Tucker gently placed a hand on her back, kneeling down beside her.

"No…" The girl choked out, "Why the hell would someone kidnap Danny and set his forest on fire…!? It's not…they…he just…!" She seemed unable to finish her sentence and turned her attention to a bush sporting bright orange flowers instead, "Tucker!" Her mournful cry made the boy jump, push his glasses up his nose, and peer past her at the bush, "The flowers! They're wilting!"

Indeed they were; the orange petals had turned brown at the ends, shriveling up, dying, and as Sam's fingers lightly bushed one of them, it disintegrated into ashes.

"It's dying…!" Tucker groaned, "The Ghost Wood is dying without him here!"

"Then it's true that the Forest Guardian isn't here anymore?" A voice, smooth but with a slightly harsh note to it, asked and Sam and Tucker turned around, "What a shame. We were close friends. I hadn't seen him in at least 150 years…"

The speaker was a tall man in a sweeping dark purple cloak and light violet tunic, the dark blue gloves on his hands were clamped with black bands that held clocks, he wore dark blue boots and light violet pants, and a clock and pendulum hung from his neck on a thick silver chain. His eyes were a glowing red but in a warm sort of way, a single black lightning bolt mark ran over his left eye, and his skin was tainted an eerie iridescent blue.

"Wh-who are you!?" Tucker stuttered, falling back into Sam so that they both ended up sprawled across the forest floor.

"Clockwork, the Guardian of Time." The man replied and then he looked past the two humans, a smile tracing his lips, "And they are Frostbite, Ghostwriter. We've come to find out what's happened to our favorite temperamental Guardian."

"Greetings," Replied a deep, gravelly voice and Sam and Tucker turned around and Tucker opened his mouth to scream but Sam clapped a hand over his mouth, effectively silencing him.

Before them towered a wolf-like creature with pale, blue-white fur and twisted horns of ice spiraling from the top of his head. He stood on two legs, a robe of dark blue and gold swung over his shoulders and across his furry chest, and his left arm was made completely of ice. They could see the bone and muscles through it, the veins pumping the blood that did not seem to be red at all.

"Really, Frostbite, how many times must I tell you? Your form frightens the humans. Look at that one, he's about ready to wet himself." Said a chocolate voice and a figure stepped out from behind the wolf-creature, "I apologize for the Ice Guardian, he tends to avoid humans. I am Ghostwriter, Guardian of the Light. Pleasure to meet you."

Ghostwriter was a short man with thin, wiry glasses, pale features, greasy black hair, and a twisting little goatee. He wore an old blue-gray scarf wrapped tightly around his neck, a worn old brown trench coat hung loosely over a long sleeved cream shirt, trailing to the edges of a pair of dark russet pants. He looked like anything but a Guardian of the Light.

"Danny…Danny, he's…he's…" Sam's words were tight, like she was holding back tears, "He's gone…and someone set his forest…o-on fire…!" She leapt up, looking from one Guardian to the other, "You have to help us! If you're Guardians you can find him, right!? You can find Danny, right!?"

"Who's Danny?" Frostbite's ears had been sliding back bit by bit the whole time and his eyes were flashing with a mix between annoyance and curiosity.

"D-Danny…" Tucker stuttered, still a little in shock at the appearance of the Guardians, "Our friend…Danny…that's why you're here, isn't it?" His eyes were huge behind his black framed glasses, "Isn't it!?"

"Why would we look for a human?" Frostbite growled, his white fur bristling slightly beneath his robe, "The only thing we want is the Forest Guardian…!"

"That's Danny." Clockwork had a smile on his face like he knew something the two didn't. Ghostwriter frowned and crossed his arms, giving the Guardian of Time a "tell me or you'll be in trouble" look over the top of his glasses. Clockwork shrugged, spinning his staff in his hands, "What? So I knew Phantom had gotten himself mixed up in another batch of trouble though this was one batch he wouldn't be coming back out of. That human, Danny, and the Guardian of the Forest aren't two people anymore…"

"What!?" Ghostwriter's hands dug into his hair and he shuffled his feet in the undergrowth, looking a little panicked, "Why the hell didn't you tell us Clockwork!? No **wonder** Plasmius came over here and blasted a huge hole in the boy's forest!"

"Tell us what's going on!" Sam snarled at Ghostwriter, disregarding the fact that the man was a Guardian, "Danny's our best friend! Where is he!?"

Ghostwriter peered through his fingers, past the smudged edges of his glasses, at Clockwork who shrugged and sighed.

"It seems inevitable," Frostbite growled at the words and the Guardian of Time shook the end of his staff at him, "That's enough. These kids knew—know—Danny and that could help us find him. Frostbite, I want you to stay here and help clean this mess Plasmius left up, Ghostwriter and I will explain everything to-."

"Sam. And this is Tucker."

"To Sam and Tucker. Then Fright, Ghostwriter, and I can go after Plasmius."

"You might want to take Walker with you when you do then," The hulking white wolf-like Guardian slid silently, despite his size, through the trees in the direction of the burnt area, "He **is** the Guardian of Water."

"Well then," Ghostwriter started cleaning off the smudges he'd smeared upon his glasses, "Shall we?" He gestured and then sat on the ground, nodding that Sam and Tucker should do the same. They sat, Clockwork perching himself in mid air with his legs crossed (Ghostwriter sent him a scowl), "I suppose I should start from the very, very beginning…"

-------

_That was quite a lot for one chapter, I hope that didn't overload anyone though I'd beware of the next one; it's going to be loaded with information!   
Thanks always for reading and please leave a review! They only certify the fact that Vlad is a fruitloop…!  
Vlad:……_


	7. Interlude

_Alright! It's story time! The past of the Guardian's is revealed! Maybe. Note that this whole chapter is in first person; that is because Ghostwriter is telling the story to Sam and Tucker. I know, I know, Sam and Tucker (especially Sam) would never sit down for a history lesson when Danny was in danger but, hey, this is essential to getting Danny out alive. They __**had**__ to listen. Or lose Danny Phantom forever._

_Clockwork: You are morbid._

_I try._

**Earthdance**

--The story that is our life is never ending, it continues on through the lives of those we have touched and have loved.--

Interlude: Guardian's Chronicle

Hundreds of years ago, humans ruled the Earth with science and machine, steel and hate, blood and war, never ceasing their endless struggle of control. The ones called scientists began meddling in things that they did not fully comprehend, things that are better not repeated, and made several people angry. Not humans. Us. The Guardians of the Elements. I'd watched them for a time, growing more and more concerned with their actions, until it finally settled upon me that they would not relent the search for power so it had to be forced from them and fear is often the best remedy for such things.

He ravaged the land, tearing apart cities, uprooting military outposts, decimating every piece of science and machinery we could find. I'd have to say that Molten was the most fierce of them all; he'd hated humans for as long as I could remember and was whole-heartedly set on letting them be destroyed. But that choice was not for us; yes, we Guardians have power but we take our orders from ones of higher stature. Anyway, we let some humans live, they weren't **bad** just a little misguided and who were we to pass judgment on them when we ourselves were not exactly perfect.

Years went by, the humans built up small towns as we stood watch over them, carefully observing their activities. Little did we know that Molten had been nursing a long and frothing hatred for them, holed up in his volcano of a home in the middle a devastated wasteland. He hadn't just been watching the humans either.

You see, we Guardians aren't exactly close with one another. We contact one another every once it a great while but time had little meaning to us; we can change our form at will, control the elements, and last forever, unable to be killed or die. Immortal and invincible, in a way. But Molten, he kept a close eye on everyone of us without our knowledge. A particularly close eye on Phantom, the Guardian of the Forest. Phantom acted like he hated humans, like he despised them just as much as Molten, but he had a soft heart and was easily shaken. He'd taken up residence beside a slowly growing town, blinking down at the humans from his ever spreading forest, curious, as always, and intrigued by their strong relationships and spirits. It was their spirits he loved. More often than not he would lure some strong willed human into his wood and consume them, making them a part of his nature, making it all the more beautiful, showing the human the wonders of his realm. Molten hated it, hated Phantom, hated humans.

His abhorrence escalated, mounting to the point of insanity, and he let it consume him. Foolish, he acted on his rage alone, not unlike the humans he hated so much—no offense meant to you—and I'm guessing that's how he met Vlad Masters. None of us are certain of how Molten and Vlad actually became Plasmius but apparently Vlad had a nice thousand years worth of technology stashed away which Plasmius then moved to the mountain. I guess that's when the plan started. Now that I think back on it, 150 years ago, Plasmius did attack Phantom's forest, trying to set it aflame and get his slimly little claws on the Guardian of the Forest. Fortunately, Clockwork and I were there to stop him. This time, I'm afraid we just didn't see it coming; we'd thought Plasmius was beaten back and wasn't stupid enough to charge at us again. But we were the stupid ones and now one of our brothers, your dearest friend, your homes, and Phantom's forest are in grave danger because we failed to see the signs.

If anyone's to blame, it should be Plasmius for the mess he's caused but the Guardians, in all our pride and foolishness, are also guilty. That's why I believe we are obligated to help you, whether Frostbite agrees or not.

------

_Rather a short one there, hope I didn't fry your brain with all the info I dumped on you. Take some notes. It helps. XD _

_Next chapter will take us back into the story, so no worries. Thanks for reading! Please leave me a review, I like to know what you think about 'Earthdance'! I know, Vlad really is a fruitloop, isn't he? (laughs) Reviews free the chapters from Walker's prison and make sure that not all the new movies coming out are sequels!_


	8. Chapter 7

_I feel that I must issue a formal apology for the events of chapter three. It seems that a handful of people were worried that this fiction would turn into some sort of obscene Fenton/Phantom slash. I'm sorry that chapter turned out the way it did, it was not my intention to make it so suggestive and I am very sorry for it._

_Also, I am sorry for the lateness of this chapter! Like I have stated before one my profile, I had to find the name of that weather controlling ghost and I it took me awhile to get over my stupidity and look on Wikipedia (I don't know how to spell it). So, I present you with the completed chapter seven…_

**Earthdance**

--"In the paths of the wicked lie thorns and snares, but he who guards his soul stays far from them." Proverbs 22:5 --

7: Water Lilly

The pain of his forest burning sent Phantom into a coma-like state, blood still trickling slowly from his nose and mouth, his green eyes rolled to the back of his head. Plasmius didn't care; just as long as he got the Forest Guardian he didn't care. Flying was something every Guardian had so it didn't take the Guardian of Fire to reach his volcanic home and sweep his way through the passages into his underground technological city.

"You are a prize worth keeping alive, Phantom," He murmured, dropping the boy unceremoniously onto the cold steel floor, "But that doesn't mean I have to treat you like one. I hate you." He ground the words out between his fangs as they shrank away, his dark hair falling back into silver, "You selfish, sadistic, little brat!"

Phantom groaned and his white hair started fading away into gray as he twisted about on the floor, grasping at things that weren't there, burns cracking across his chest and arms. The blood had dried on his face.

"Oh no you don't!" Vlad snatched up the Guardian by the neck, thin fingers digging into the pale flesh and making Phantom choke, sputter, and open his eyes slightly, "You're staying the way you are, you unpleasant child, and you're going to be taking a nice long nap with Uncle Vlad here…!" He sneered as pale fingers clawed weakly at his hand, "Ah, ah, ah, I said you're going to **sleep**!"

The Fire Guardian slammed the still half-comatose and injured teen into a shaft in the wall, glass sliding over it as he drew his hand away. Phantom pounded on the glass for a moment or two before he finally sank back into his agony-filled sleep, moaning soundlessly and twitching in pain. Vlad grinned to himself. That machine would keep the Guardian of the Forest under for a couple hours as he himself completed the finishing touches on the Guardian's final containment area. The one thing that would surely bring Phantom over to his side…the side that was going to rid the world of all those filthy, disgusting, rotten humans. Because Phantom had the power to do that. And Vlad wanted it.

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

"Walker-."

"Shut up."

"But Walker-."

"I said shut up, Johnny…!"

"Walker! Plasmius' got Phantom!"

"What!?" The Guardian of Water whipped around and glared at the Guardian of Rock, "What do you mean he's got Phantom!?"

Johnny felt a chill sweep over him. Walker's favorite form was a towering skeletal-like figure in a pure white suit with flaming green eyes, not like Phantom's soft ones. He looked like he'd been raised from the ocean; an undead, haunting the lands; and he was not one to cross.

"When Plasmius set Phantom's forest on fire, he took the Forest Guardian too!"

"That's breaking several rules…!" Walker snarled, fists clenching, "Human or not, the Fire Guardian knows you're not supposed to attack other Guardians! Especially their territories!"

"Then how're we supposed to get Phantom back without attack Plasmius!?" Vortex, the Guardian of Sky, was crouched beside the other two Guardians in Johnny's cave, green skin glowing eerily in the dim lighting, "It's not possible!"

"We cannot touch Plasmius," Came a familiar voice and the three Guardians who had stayed behind while the others went out chasing Plasmius, where ever he was, turned to look at the entrance, "That is true."

"Clockwork!" Johnny stood up but his grin fell away, "Humans…?"

"These two were friends of Danny, the boy who combined with Phantom," The Guardian of Time ushered forward a young boy and girl, both who looked fairly frightened by Walker and Vortex, "They can, and have agreed to, help us."

"Humans…!" Vortex spat and Walker rolled his haunting eyes, "Useless…!"

"Shut up!" Shouted the girl, her violet eyes flaming with rage at the words and the Guardians were taken aback by her forwardness, "We'll get him back! And don't you **dare** doubt us! Don't you **dare**!"

"I think it's time we start planning…" Ghostwriter smiled, pushing his glasses up his nose and putting a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder, "Call my twin. We'll need him in this battle, I think."

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

Jazz heard the voices whispering below the floorboards of the loft and shuffled out of her bed, sliding smoothly down the ladder and turning to face the group of adults gathered around the kitchen table. They didn't stop their muttering as she approached.

"—towards the Ghost Wood!" Said a man she recognized as Sam's father, "But when we went after them, they'd disappeared! We don't know what to make of it!"

"That damned forest is consuming everyone!" Tucker's father slammed his hand on the table, "Whoever started burning it had the right idea!"

"No they didn't!" Jazz shouted and then bit her lip as everyone starred at her, "I…I…it's just that the Ghost Wood-."

"The Ghost Wood is protecting your children and our Danny!" Maddie stated, glaring daggers at Tucker's father, "Whoever burned that huge hole in it obviously wants to cause us harm!"

"But who would want to hurt **us**!?" One of the other adults asked, "We're a tiny little town near a Guardian's home with little to offer and the closet town is across the wasteland and over the Mountains of the Guardians and no one is stupid enough to do that!"

"They've kidnapped out kids, though!" Sam's mother snapped, her eyes red from crying, "And there's no telling what they're doing to them!"

The voices of the adults rose into a clamor and Jazz slipped away from them and down the stairs for some peace and quiet. She found her father sitting on a stool and twisting a couple of wires around in his fingers in a sort of sad and absent minded way. She shoved some stuff out of the way and sat on the table beside him.

"Dad, it'll be okay, we'll find Danny and Sam and Tucker." She put a hand on his shoulder, "Come on, you know Danny, he's tough, he can take care of himself."

Jack Fenton sighed and tossed the wires aside. Jazz noticed that the ends where the copper protruded where blackened and the rubber covering was frayed at the ends. It was the first time Jasmine Fenton had ever seen her father so depressed and silent.

"Jazzy…" The empty tone in his usually boisterous voice made the girl's heart clench, "Do you think…maybe…he ran away…?"

"What!? Why would he do that!?"

"Maybe…because…I wasn't…a…we weren't…very good parents…?"

"Dad!" Jazz actually threw her arms around her father, squeezing her eyes shut to stop the tears, "You know Danny and I love you and that you're only trying to protect the town! Danny would never, **ever** run away! He **loves** you!"

Jack sighed again and wrapped his big arms around her. She didn't notice that he was crying.

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

"Phantom, Phantom, open your eyes…!" The voice was muffled, slightly familiar, slightly taunting, male, "Wake up, wake up, wake up…!"

He shifted, noting the weightlessness of his body, and slowly cracked his eyes open. His vision was blurred by sleep, his body ached, and his mind was chasing itself in circles. He couldn't focus on anything. Fire, Sam, home, forest, screaming, Tucker, fire, rain, Phantom, sunlight, pain, Sam, blood, Dash, fire, Sam, fire, Sam, fire, Sam, fire…

"Sam! Ruin the forest! It's on fire!" He screamed, jerking about, eyes wide, "Sam! Sam! Sam! Fiiiiirrrrreeee!"

"Hush, now, Phantom, that fire's gone, you're safe here." His swiveling, panicked gaze locked upon a man standing in front of him, no that wasn't right, he wasn't in front of him.

"What…what's going on!? Where am I!? My forest! Sam!? Tucker!?" Her jerked around a bit more and realized he was floating in some sort of liquid, wires running from his arms and back, and a strange mask over his mouth and nose that kept the liquid out, a tube running upwards. The wires, and the tube, were all leading outside of what appeared to be a large sphere, not unlike the sphere that was in his flower…that was his bed…that was at home…

"You're safe, I told you that." The man that had spoken before was standing on what seemed to be a flower petal, "The fire in the forest is being taken care of, your friends I know nothing about." He was tall, with silver hair that fell down his back in a ponytail, sharp turquoise eyes, and a clean black suit, "But here, Phantom, you are safe. Your forest is protecting you, see?" He waved a hand at the sphere and the petals though the Guardian inside could see nothing but blurred gray in the background, "I've just taken the precaution of adding a few of my own devices. You should be better in no time, Phantom."

"Danny." He said flatly as a strand of white hair slipped slowly in front of his face, "My name's Danny Fenton. Stop calling me Phantom."

"As you wish Daniel." A wicked sort of smile traced the man's lips, "And I…am Vladimir Masters. Pleasures.'

The name tugged at something in his mind, something that told him to be wary, but he was still dizzy with the agony of his burning territory and it didn't stick. His eye lids felt heavy, his green eyes lost a bit of their light as he felt the blackness tugging at him, willing him back into sleep.

"D…damn it…" He groaned, "Vladimir…? Is Amity okay?"

Vladimir paused in his motion of turning away, perhaps to go back to something he'd left in order to check on the suffering boy.

"Yes, Daniel, Amity is fine."

"And my parents…?"

"As far as I know."

"W-will you tell me…when you get news…about Sam…and Tucker…?" He was fading.

"Of course." There was some sort of twisted malice in that voice but it eluded Danny as he fell back into a welcome and dreamless sleep.

-------

_Writer's Block. That's what this. Cursed into oblivion dratted Writer's Block. Hate the thing. I've been away from this fiction too long and now people are starting to go all OOC and stuff. Darn it. But, hey, at least I got his chapter finally done, right?  
Anyway, thanks always for reading and sticking with my super slow updates. Don't forget to review! More chapters get freed from Walker's prison and reviews also make all the good shows come back on TV!_


	9. Chapter 8

_How long am I going to draw this out and throw in filler chapters? Dang. EmptyHeart thinks that because I play on Photoshop I can draw. Nuh-uh…! (laughs at herself) My stick figures look like dying twigs. _

_But seriously, I am __**not**__, however much it may seem, dead. I have been so busy that I'd almost forgotten about this. Traumatic, I know, but life is life. So, I say thank you to all my patient and loyal readers who have waited oh so dearly for this chapter! Thank you! _

**Earthdance**

--Your enemy whispers together with your nightmares to conspire against you.--

8: Whatever You Say

Sam was wary of the Guardians, not scared just wary. She knew what power they held and what they could do but she didn't think that she or Tucker would come to any harm, especially under the watchful eye of Clockwork. Tucker, on the other hand, was utterly convinced that both of them were going to be sacrifices in some sort of obscene archaic dark ritual. Sam told him he was nuts.

They still had not started after Danny; the Guardians were patient with themselves. If you could call arguing patient. Ghostwriter was in a deep and heated discussion with his twin, Fright Knight the Guardian of Darkness, about why they couldn't harm Plasmius themselves and Clockwork was fending off the whining pleas of about three other Guardians; Ember, Vortex, and Johnny 13. It was not a pleasant situation to be stuck in a cave with several annoyed and loud mouthed Guardians flexing their powers at one another. More than once she and Tucker had had to dodge flying rocks, bolts of lightning, or swirling lashes of dark and light waves only to be tossed about by a fierce wind or drenched in spontaneous downpour.  
"I don't blame you for standing back," Walker muttered standing off to the side, unwilling to get involved in any of the arguments, "I hate being in the middle of their fights."

"But you're a Guardian too, aren't you?" Sam asked, ignoring Tucker who was dangling off her arm and whimpering, "Shouldn't you have a say?"

"A say, kid?" Walker snorted and crossed his arms, "Tch, it's not worth trying to get a word in with that lot, especially with the twins!" He jerked his head at Ghostwriter and Fright Knight, "Nah, I'd rather go after the punk myself but, well, I couldn't do much seeing as it's against the rules to harm a fellow Guardian. Rules Plasmius, it seems, thinks he doesn't have to follow."

"Go after Danny yourself…?" Sam murmured more to herself than to anyone, "Well…that's not a bad idea…" She smiled suddenly, "So, did you find out where that damned scum bag Plasmius was hiding?"

"A volcano across the wasteland," Walker replied, his stony green eyes never leaving the quarrelling Guardians before them, "He's got his happy little shop set down under ground, keeping Phantom under for something. Why?"

But when the Guardian of Water turned his attention back to the two human teens…they were gone.

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

_**Tumbling from the sky, away from the burning clutch of whoever had been trying to save me (I was convinced they were trying to get me away from the fire), back down towards earth and the flickering flames consuming the Ghost Wood. MY Ghost Wood. **_

_**Burning.**_

_**Screaming.**_

_**Fire.**_

_**Amity was on FIRE!**_

_**I was running through the streets, calling out names, crying as the fire ripped blisters into my pale skin, the smoke choking my words, making my eyes water painfully. I tripped and landed in a pile of burning wood. **_

_**I screamed.**_

I clawed at my burning flesh, tears evaporating in the heat, trying to run, unable to move because of the pain.  


"_**I've got you, Danny!" Sam's hand reached out and I grabbed for it but it vanished before my eyes and I sobbed pitifully. **_

_**Alone. **_

_**Fiery arms wrapped around me and pulled from the burning town and up into the clear night sky. I clutched at them, fearing to let go or fall unconscious lest those supportive arms disappear.**_

"_**You are safe here." **_

_**Vladimir.**_

Danny awoke with a gasp, shuddering in the liquid, jostling the wires still running from his body. His greens eyes glowed glaringly bright in the darkness that surrounded his plant. Vladimir wasn't there. It was late. Or something.  
Danny reached up and ran his fingers through his white hair, trying to focus on his nightmare-dream-thing. It had been terrifying. Amity and the Ghost Wood burning, Sam vanishing, and Vladimir rescuing him. But **why** was it so scary, besides the obvious? Why did he shudder with terror whenever Vladimir got within centimeters of his being? What was that familiar and warning tug at the back of his mind? Something he should remember but just couldn't grasp.

He moaned and lolled his head back, eyes closing as he started to drift off to sleep again. It seemed that was all he did as he "healed" (though he didn't seem to be doing much of that anyway); sleep, dream, wake up, ask Vladimir the same questions every day, and then sleep again.   
Where were Sam and Tucker?

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

"I'm gonna die…!" Tucker gasped, dragging himself along through the sand, "I swear Sam, I'm gonna f-ing die…!"

"Shut the hell up, Tucker…!" The girl responded, "You're wasting precious energy…!"

Sam had hauled the boy out of the cave as soon as Walker had mentioned the words 'volcano'. She knew enough about the remains of the world to know that the only currently active volcano was Mt. Erif. And it was indeed far across the wastelands. They had been walking through blistering heat before and where now shivering in horrid cold, still trying to move through the sand.

It seemed like a lifetime ago that they had snuck down into the Guardian of the Forest's pool to steal some water.

But Sam sure as hell wasn't giving up. And she wasn't going to let Tucker give up either. She'd show those Guardians exactly just what a human could do! Danny needed them and while his 'fellow Guardians' were 'planning a rescue mission' she and Tucker would be the ones doing the rescuing.

And no one, absolutely **no one** was going to stop her.

"Sssssaaaaaaaaammmmmmmm…!"

But Tucker could sure as hell slow her down.

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

"Vladimir?"

"I know what you're going to ask."

"Do you have a **real** answer this time? I've been in here forever-!"

"Just about two days, Daniel."

"Two da-are you-I mean-gah! Will you **please **tell me some news!?"

The silver-haired man turned around, having had his back to the white haired boy, writing things down on a pad of paper while perched on the edge of one of the petals. His turquoise eyes were blank and Danny felt another chill run up his spine.

"I wasn't…I was cautious about revealing this information to you, Daniel, because I didn't want to see you get hurt anymore than you already are."

"What…what aren't you telling me!?" He was desperate for news.

"The ones who started the fire in your forest…" The man seemed hesitant to continue and Danny longed to scream at him but he knew that would get him nowhere, "Well, apparently a witness said they saw Samantha Manson and Tucker Foley lighting the forest. I'm…sorry Daniel."

"No…it can't be…" Danny's heart rejected the thought immediately but the smarts he'd inherited from his parents took over. His mind put two and two together before he could divert from the thoughts. It was his fault that Phantom had wanted Sam, Sam was probably furious with him and when he joined with Phantom it had probably made her all the more angry. Tucker was just terrified that Danny had gotten so much power and together they had…they had…set the Ghost Wood on fire to get rid of Phantom. Danny Phantom. They wanted Danny Phantom out of the picture.

The Guardian of the Forest shut down. He literally collapsed in on himself; he felt his heart break into tiny little pieces, felt his soul tie itself into a black knot of despair, felt his mind go blank, let himself fall into the darkness.

Vlad Masters smiled as he watched the scrawny little runt of a Guardian fall unconscious from the shock. He'd won. What do you know, the forgotten Plasmius, underdog of the Guardians, had won.

"I think, when he wakes up, we'll start with a little pay back…!" Vlad grinned, shifting smoothly into his Guardian form, baring fangs, "The world is at my mercy!"

And he laughed. He couldn't help it. It was so cliché and he knew it was but he just couldn't hold it in; all the rage, the malice, the victory…!

Vlad Plasmius Masters had won.

The Guardians would fall.

The world would be in his hands.

And Daniel Phantom was going to help him do it.

A red blinking red light on a far wall interrupted his revelry.

"Ah, visitors," He hovered on a cushion of shimmering, ultra-heated air, his red eyes brightening like bubbling magma, "I wonder who…?"

-------

_Maybe it's just me but this one seems awfully short and sort of like filler. Vlad is going total fruitloop in this one…poor Danny. I don't think he'd really fall for a lie like that so quickly but, hey, maybe being in that "plant" so long rattled his brains a bit. He can't think straight. Poor guy. I really need to stop beating him up._

_Well, well, can you guess who's knocking on Plasmius' door? XD Don't forget to review! They show how much you really love Danny Phantom and make more chapters escape from Walker and his darned prison! Free the chapters! Save the Phantom! _


	10. Chapter 9

_I've said it before and I'll say it again, I've been away from this fiction way to long. I think my cat's sick, he's been making funny noises and dumping everywhere! XP Gross. _

_But anyway, I'm trying to get as many chapters done this weekend as fast as I can because I'm trying to make up for not posting anything for, what, two weeks now? EmptyHeart's been on my case about and I've been on her case about her 'Melody in Red 2: Conspiracy of Crimson' DP fiction. She's stuck, she says. Says I gave her WB. I laughed at her. _

**Earthdance**

--One cannot take back words that have been said, erase actions that have been done, or fix mistakes that have been permanently made. These are the things that make up a life.--

9: Confusion, Lies, Fire, and Red

Tucker collapsed under the shade of an overhanging rock, sagging into the sand, panting, not even bothering to watch the sun rise hazily over the horizon. Sam was slumped next to him. They had made it to the mountain and were exhausted to near death by the trek; the duo needed water, food, rest, and probably medical attention for their sunburns.

"A couple of desert rats, it seems, have stumbled onto my doorstep." Said a cool voice and Sam turned her heavy eyes upward just in time to seem the figure of a tall man with silver hair and piercing turquoise eyes before she passed out…

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

"DANNY!" Sam sat upright a little too quickly and felt her head spin. Groaning she pressed a hand to her forehead and found it wrapped in bandages. Looking down, she realized she was lying in a bed, and a nice one at that, covered in a thin sheet, still fully dressed.

"Sam?" She looked to her left and there was Tucker, looking a little darker skinned than usual but still nervously pushing his glasses up his nose, "You okay?"

"Y-yeah…" The girl gazed around the room; it was small, with at least three beds crammed into it and nothing else with stone walls and a temperature that had to be about ninety, it was insanely hot, "Any idea where we are?"

"My home, of course," Said the cold voice that the two had heard before fainting and they looked about to see a thin man with long silver hair and a sly sort of smile leaning against the door frame, "You blacked out right at my front door and I couldn't just leave you out there in the wasteland…!" His sly smile grew, "After all, it would make Daniel oh so upset if he lost his 'friends.'"

"Daniel…?" Tucker muttered as Sam tried to process the sarcastic sort of tone the man had used on the word 'friend', "Sam, Sam, Danny's here!" He turned to the man, almost falling out of the bed, "Where is he!? Can we see him!?"

"I think you need some food and water first." A couple of apples appeared in one hand and two large glasses of water in the other, "Freshen up and then we can go."

They inhaled the food, relishing in the rejuvenated feeling, and quickly followed the man's long strides down several confusing stone hallways. Sam's mind was clear enough to realize that this could be a trap, they didn't know this guy! But then again, if it was a trap, how did this strange man living in the mountain where Plasmius was supposed to reside know about Danny? And that was another thing? Where was this Guardian of Fire?

"Quiet now, Samantha, Tucker, he's sleeping." With a snake-like hiss a metal door slid into the wall revealing an enormous steel coated room lined with control panels and boxes of flashing lights like two had never seen before. And right smack-dab in the middle of the room was a huge plant. At least at first glance it looked like a giant version of the flower that Danny Fenton slept in at home but another quick scan of the thing told another story. Several thick wires and tubes ran from the bottom of the 'stem' which was actually a giant cylinder of steel and floating in a grayish substance with numerous wires running from his limbs and a mask over his mouth and nose was their best friend.

"What is…is that **plant** thing?" Sam gasped at the size of thing as Tucker gaped around at all the technology that she no doubt wished he could get his hands on.

"Oh, it's not a **real** plant. But he doesn't know that." The man's smile was full of malice and he had a sneer to his voice, "He thinks that damned forest is protecting him right now. Ha!" He gave a snort of laughter and his eyes flashed red, "Shame, now that I've got you here, things will go so much quicker. I sort of wanted to see him squirm some more…!"

"Wh-wh-what!?" Tucker's voice got higher with each stuttered remark, "Wh-who are you!?"

"Vlad Plasmius!" The man laughed manically, his silver hair turning black and spiking upwards around his now ashen gray features, claws and fangs sprouting like thorns, his red eyes burning horribly bright, "The Guardian of Fire! At your service!"

"Service this you big fat lousy jerk!" Sam screamed and swung a fist at him.

"Watch it brat!" Plasmius caught her wrist and dug his sharp nails in, letting the blood well up and grinning when she screamed.

"Sam! You…you…AAAHHHHRRRGGG!" Tucker just couldn't seem to find a word foul enough to describe the Guardian and launched himself at the Fire controlling man only to be batted aside like a leaf tossed by a strong wind. He slammed into the metal wall with a heavy thud, a cry of pain, and slid to floor, unmoving.

"Oh dear," Plasmius said in mock horror, "Hope I didn't kill hi-AAAHHG!" He leapt away from Sam who had sunk to her knees, clutching her bleeding wrist, "You…you **bit** me! You f-ing **bit** me!"

"And you taste like f-ing dog crap!" Sam snarled back, "What the hell are you doing with Danny!?"

That horrible, evil grin was back, "That's for me to know and you to die trying to find out." He sneered, baring sharp fangs, "How about I bite you back!?"

"Plasmius!"

The Guardian of Fire made a guttural snarling noise and flames shot off of his body in every direction, evaporating into the air before they touched anything. He was obviously very, very pissed.

"Brothers…!" He hissed as Sam glanced over her shoulder to see Clockwork, Ghostwriter, and Fright Knight standing shoulder to shoulder, looking just as pissed, "What, might I ask, gives you the right to interfere with **my** business!?"

"Your business became ours when you attacked Phantom!" Fright snapped back, his armor clinking as he shifted into a tensed attack position, "You know that's against the oldest laws set down by our parents-!"

"Screw our parents!" Plasmius shouted, floating in the air on a torrent of hot, shimmering space, "Screw the rules! Those humans are scum and you know it! Phantom's goody-two-shoes nonsense was a ploy! He hates them too!"

"Silence!" Clockwork slammed his staff onto the floor, eyes glowing fiercely, "Release Danny and his friends and submit, Plasmius!"

"Ha! Ahahahahaha! You can't **touch** me, Clocky!" Plasmius laughed, still in the air, "You don't dare break those rules yourselves! You're cowards!"

While this argument was transpiring, Sam had slowly made her way over to Tucker's side. She pressed her bloodied fingers to his neck to check for a pulse and he yelped, eyes snapping open, and edged away slightly.

"You faker!" She wanted to slap him but under the circumstances it seemed the wrong thing to do, "Whatever, come on, we have to get over to that…that plant-thing and get Danny out of it somehow!"

"I don't think we need to…" Tucker pointed, "Danny's already awake…"

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

"_**It's not real? Why wouldn't it be real!? Tell me why!? Someone answer me!"**_

_**But it was empty nothing. A few moments earlier a voice had been repeating over and over to me that it wasn't real. But I didn't know what wasn't real. That Sam and Tucker, my two best friends on the whole planet, had set the Ghost Wood on fire? Curse my damned logic.**_

"_**Someone answer me!"**_

_**Plasmius.**_

"_**What?"**_

_**Vlad Plasmius!**_

"_**No, no, no! He doesn't matter! He doesn't…Vlad? Vladimir Masters? V-Vlad!? Vladimir is Plasmius!" **_

_**Sam!**_

"_**Sam! My Sam! Sam! Sam! Tucker! Mom! Dad! Jazz! SAM!"**_

"You're cowards!" Those were the words he opened his eyes to. All he could see was the murky gray but he could clearly hear their voices. He'd heard it all. Several voices he didn't know, Sam's voice, Tucker's voice, and Vlad. The one Guardian that Phantom had warned him about and he'd gone and forgotten.

With a feral snarl of rage he ripped the wires from his skin. This wasn't his plant, not his forest, he could feel it now, it was all a lie. He tore and mask from his face and choked on a mouthful of water. Damn Plasmius! Curse him! Curse him into oblivion!

"PLASMIUS!" Vines burst from his frenzy-shivering frame and the glass sphere around him exploded into a million shards of glass, spilling liquid everywhere. He was furious. Never before had young Danny Fenton lost his temper so violently before. He stood in the remains of the sphere, seething, breathing heavily from the wrath that consumed him, vines ripping at the air around him, eyes pulsing green.

"Don't." He growled, emphasizing each word with a step forward towards the edge, "Touch. My. Friends!"

All eyes were on him. He jumped from the thing he'd once been convinced was a plant and, aided by his vines, landed safely on the floor. Turning, he began to stalk up to Plasmius, ready to beat the living daylights out of him, when someone's strong grip on his shoulder stopped him.

"Danny, you can't touch him." It was a man with blue skin and warm red eyes, the opposite of the Guardian of Fire's, and a black lightning mark under one of his eyes, "Guardians are not aloud to harm other Guardians and though Plasmius has broken that rule I'd advise that you did not."

"Why should I listen to you!?" Danny snapped and then his gaze fell upon Sam and Tucker sprawled hopelessly on the floor, blood smeared over them in small amounts, and his anger grew, "Look what he's done already! That monster!"

"Danny!" Sam cried, snapping his attention back to her as Plasmius tried to keep an eye on all of them at the same time, cursing them with words even Danny didn't know, "Danny, **Phantom** can't touch him but **Fenton** can! You just have to use your Guardian powers without changing into your Guardian form!"

Danny grinned and brushed the man's hand away, letting go of all the anger and hate he had building up inside of him and sighing as his eyes faded into blue and his hair turned black again.

"Sam, damn it, I love you, you're such a frigging genius…!" He chuckled and then let his smile drop, turning to face Plasmius, the vines still whipping the air behind him, "Hey you guys are Guardians too, right? Then protect my friends." And without waiting for an answer, he threw himself at the Guardian of Fire.

-----

_(gasp) Next chapter is going to have a fight scene! Awesomeness! I stayed up late finishing this chapter so if stuff is off, weird, has typos, or is just plain corny then I apologize. I'm tired. But I had to finish this for you guys! I will prevail! XO RAWR! _

_Please review! It helps the freed chapters kick Walker's ghosty little rear if he tries to capture them again and makes all this cursed snow go away!_


	11. Chapter 10

_Here it comes, the infamous fight scene…! It was inevitable…! Watch out Plasmius, Danny may be a klutz but I bet he's just plain smarter than you!_

**Earthdance**

--Time is not governed by the gears and turning hands of a clock. Time is a freedom given to all of us and so it can easily be taken away.--

10: Struggle Beyond Sanguinity 

Danny swept his hand around and a torrent of thorns shot out from his skin, raining down on Plasmius who growled and blasted them away with several balls of fire. Using this distraction to his advantage, the Guardian of the Forest dove under Plasmius' guard and socked him one right in the gut before launching himself upright and into a round-house kick, catching the man in the jaw and sending him crashing to the floor.

"Foolish child!" The Guardian of Fire flipped to his feet, the air around him blurred with the amount of heat he was giving off, "I am FIRE! You are nothing more but weeds to be scorched from my presence! Don't you remember what your so-called-friends did!? They burnt your forest! They-!"

"**SHUT UP**!" Danny screamed, fists clenching, the vines wrapping around his arms and chest to protect his bare, pale skin, "Just shut your damned mouth Plasmius! I've had enough of your lies! Phantom told me all about you! That you hated him, that you hate humans, everything!"

"Phantom was always a cheeky little brat…!" Fire formed in Plasmius' hands, flickering around his claws, "And you, Daniel, are just as obnoxious…!"

The Guardian of Fire hurled the balls of flame at the Forest Guardian, forcing the black-haired boy to dive to the side and roll across the floor. But when he tried to stand back up, Plasmius stomped a foot onto his chest, pressing down savagely. Danny grabbed the man's ankle, dug his fingers in, and twisted, spinning Plasmius off of him. Then he leapt on top of the Fire Guardian and started punching him in the face, steely black thorns sprouting from his knuckles and slicing up the Guardian's face.

Plasmius clawed at him, leaving deep rivets in the vines and then lashing out quickly at the boy's face. Danny screamed and fell back, one hand pressed over the right side of his face where blood was slowly dripping past his chin. Plasmius scowled, panting, trying to wipe away the red liquid that was welling from the deep cuts all over his face.

Meanwhile, Clockwork and the Guardian twins had herded Sam and Tucker to a safer corner of the huge room and Ghostwriter was currently working on healing Sam's bleeding wrist.

"What're…what're the chances of Danny beating him?" Tucker asked in a low voice like he actually didn't want an answer.

"Quite good, if he uses his powers to his advantage." Fright Knight was crouched beside him, his glowing green sword drawn and embedded in the floor, his armored fingers tapping the hilt, "Oh, how I long to slice that traitor with my blade…!"

"Plasmius called you brothers," Sam's lilac eyes had never once flickered away from the fight and she had winched every time Danny had been struck, "What did he mean?"

"Now is not the time," Clockwork responded as Ghostwriter opened his mouth to answer, "We must be silent, we must watch, we must hope, and we must wait."

"I hate waiting." Sam murmured, "I feel so useless…"

Danny and Plasmius had heard none of this small talk. They were too preoccupied with catching their breath again, taking note of how badly injured they were, and preparing their next attacks. It was Danny who moved first. He crouched low to the floor and shot off at an inhuman speed, slashing the air with the thorns on his fists, only to skid to the side when Plasmius pounced at him with a mouthful of fangs. As he dodged past the Guardian of Fire, Danny swung his knee up and smashed it right into Plasmius' jaw only to cry out as a burning sensation raked up his lower right leg and a splatter of crimson liquid splashed to the floor.

"Got you!" Plasmius jeered, spitting out some of his own blood and wiping the back of his hand across his bleeding lip, "And a lot better than you got me!"

Danny groaned, sinking to the floor, his hands turning red and he clasped his fingers around the huge gash that had been ripped in his leg, trying in vain to hold the skin together. He couldn't move it; Plasmius had severed several nerves and slashed deep into his muscle. Blood was everywhere and the sight of so much of it was making him dizzy. Or maybe because it was all **his** and he'd lost so much of it…

"What's the matter, Daniel, no snappy comeback?" Plasmius laughed evilly and Danny turned his faded blue eyes up at him, gritting his teeth against the pain, tears running down his cheeks, "You are so **pathetic**!" The Fire Guardian backhanded him and sent him sprawling, smearing red across the floor, "I planned on having you by my side when I took over this wretched dust ball but I see now you're going to **difficult**…!"

"Danny!" Sam was screaming his name, "Not again! I don't want to lose you again! Damn it! Why can't I do anything!?" Ghostwriter was holding her back while his twin held onto the shouting Tucker, "Danny, don't you **dare** leave me!"

"I…I didn't…plan on it…!" The Forest Guardian gasped, one hand leaving his leg to prop himself up into a sitting position, "Hey, P-Plasmius…do you l-like f-flowers?"

"What?" Was all the Fire Guardian managed to get out before an explosion of petals caught him full in the face and knocked him off his feet, right into the waiting jaws of a giant venus flytrap that had forced its way through the steel floor. It swallowed him nearly up to his waist, its spiny teeth piercing right through him. There was a bit of struggling on Plasmius' part and then he lay still, his legs dangling out of the plant's mouth.

Danny gagged at the sight and turned away but all he was met with were smears of red. His red. His blood.

_I'm gonna die_, He thought, starring at the pooling liquid, his breath coming in short gasps, _This is really it…I'm done for…there's no way anyone can save me…_

"Danny Fenton, that was amazing." A warm feeling wrapping around him and as his vision blurred with tears and agony his dim blue eyes met with a pair of warm red ones that smiled at him, "You don't have to worry about Plasmius anymore, boy, I'm going to take over from here."

_I can't…_ His head spun as he slumped into someone's arms, darkness yanking at his vision, _I can't sleep now…Sam and Tucker…have to see if they're…alright…_

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

Maddie had not left her son's bedside (which is to say she had not left the side of the flower where he slept, recovering) since he'd been brought home, covered in blood and paler than usual, by Sam, Tucker, and three strangers who had taken to sleeping on the rooftop. It had been nearly three days since then.

"Danny…" She pressed her fingertip to one of the dangerously sharp thorns and watched the tiny droplet of red welling up from the cut, fighting off the tears as she had for a long time, "Wake up…"

"_**Mom?"**_

"Danny!?" She jerked upright and looked around. It was his voice, she knew it, but he sounded tired, like he hadn't been sleeping at all.

"_**Hey Mom, it's okay, I'm alright. Well, sort of. I've still got that hole in my leg from Plasmius…but I'll be better."**_

"Are you…are you coming out of there soon? I've…Jack and Jazz and I have all been so worried about you and Sam and Tucker are in such states…!"

"_**Mom, calm down…! I'm coming out as soon as I'm better. As soon as Frostbite cleans the rest of the debris out of the Ghost Wood. I swear."**_

She sighed and sat back with a smile. That was Danny alright; telling her to slow down and that he was fine. She recalled the time he'd come home with a bloody nose when he was ten and Jazz was throwing such a fit over him. He'd pushed her away and said he was fine.

"Oh Danny, sometimes I wished I'd paid a little more attention to you…"

-------

_Darn this thing. It's shorter than I wanted it to be. Darn this chapter for being short too but it had to be. If I planned this out right, everything's going to get wrapped up in the next chapter. Well, almost everything… Mwahahahahahahaha!_

_Please review! They keep Walker from getting those chapters and help Danny heal faster! Yeah!_


	12. Chapter 11

_Like I said in chapter ten; this could be the last chapter if I planned everything out right. I know it turned out shorter than I would have liked and I'm sure there's a plot hole __**somewhere**__ that I missed but I still love the thing…! Thank you to all my loyal readers who have dealt with the inconsistency of my updates and for the wonderful reviews you've left me! Walker will never again capture my chapters! XD_

**Earthdance**

--The banner of a true family flies through many hardships, signaling to all that the bond of love is far more powerful than war.--

11: Through With the Heroics 

The sun was high in the noon sky, sifting through the leaves like golden rays of intangible silk, the shadows beside it more gray than black, tinted with the green of the leaves. The air was filled with the fragrance after the rain and a sweet smell of strawberries and, past the twitter of birds and several animal cries, the murmurs of three several voices echoed through the Ghost Wood. Ah, sweet serenity.

"So, Plasmius has been locked out of time, huh?" Danny was perched on a fallen tree, shirtless, his hands clasped on his lap as he starred at Clockwork, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means he's not coming back." Ghostwriter replied, pushing his greasy looking hair from his face, "Ever. He's gone for good. Not destroyed, just gone."

"Well, good riddance, I say!" Tucker said from Danny's side, "That guy was a menace!"

"Agreed," Sam was on Danny's other side, "I mean, look what he did in less than two days! Just imagine what he'd have done had he had a week…!"

"Sheesh!" The Forest Guardian unconsciously rubbed a hand over his lower right leg, disturbing a butterfly that had been perched on his jeans, "Don't remind me! It took me four days to heal up proper and I **still** have a scar…!" He scowled suddenly, "And what're **you** smiling about?"

Clockwork sighed and shook his head, turning his gaze skyward. The five of them, two humans and three Guardians, sat in silence for a long time.

"I'm going, Ghostwriter," The Guardian of Time stretched and started spinning his staff around and around in his hand, "See you later then?"

"Sure, sure," The Guardian of Light smiled knowingly and waved a hand, bidding Clockwork farewell, "In, what, two hundred years?"

Clockwork chuckled and disappeared into the forest. Ghostwriter watched him go and then turned back to the trio who was looking at him expectantly. He blinked and grinned and was reward with a return smile from each of them.

"It's been fun, Brother Forest," The Light Guardian slapped Danny on the shoulder, "And hopefully we stay peaceful for a long while. No doubt this ruckus has disturbed some of our more…**unwelcome** guests." His smile faded, "Watch yourself Danny, there's more to you than meets the eye."

"Hold it!" Ghostwriter stopped, unable to walk away as he'd planned, turning back to see the young Fenton boy angrily grasping the sleeve of the Light Guardian's worn trench coat, "Tell me, Ghostwriter! Tell me what you aren't telling me! I don't something else to happen like Plasmius!"

"Erm…" Ghostwriter looked worriedly from the determined expressions of Sam, Danny, and Tucker to back to where Clockwork had vanished and then back to the trio, finally giving out a resigned sigh, "Your argument is valid." He muttered and sat back down, motioning for Danny to do the same.

"You…are the Septimus," Ghostwriter's voice was serious, his eyes cast down to the ground, unwilling to look at Danny or the other two, "The Seventh Elemental Son and that means you have many responsibilities and powers that you have not yet unlocked. And some of them should not be brought out. Some will try to covet these powers so you must protect yourself closely. Guard your heart, little Forest Guardian, for when they come for you, they will come hard."

"Uhhhhh, so cliché." Tucker muttered and then cried out as Sam slapped the back of his head over Danny's shoulders.

"I don't get it," The Forest Guardian said, ignoring the argument that was ensuing on either side of him, "Seventh Elemental Son? What's that mean?"

"Clockwork is going to kill me for this, I know he is…!" Ghostwriter whined, "All the Elemental Guardians are brothers; or in Ember's case, sister. Our parents, Mother Nature and Father Dreams sent us here to protect the earth and set things right again." He held up his hands and started ticking names off on his fingers, "Clockwork is the oldest, then there's myself and Fright, the twins, then Frostbite, Ember, Johnny, and you, the seventh child, Walker, Molten, and Vortex. Trust me, don't tease Vortex about being the little brother, he kill you."

"And these 'unwelcome guests' of yours?" Sam asked, finally breaking off her squabble with Tucker who sat fuming and pouting with his legs crossed.

"It doesn't matter," Ghostwriter stood up, looking a little stressed, "I've already said too much as it is. I gotta go!" And he dashed off into the trees.

"Well, Danny, what do you make of that? It sort of makes sense now. I mean, if Plasmius knew about your powers then it was no wonder he wanted you on his side." Sam weaved her fingers into the Forest Guardian's own and found them icey, "You're not worried, are you?"

"Tch, of what?" He grinned, "Come off it, guys! I'm fourteen! I have Guardian powers! The only thing that scares me now is Jazz's weirdo psychology stuff!" They all laughed at that one, "Hey, how's about a race, huh!?" Danny leapt to his feet and ran off, back towards Amity, "Bet you can't catch me!"

And he promptly tripped on a tree root and fell flat on his face.

--_Guardian of the Forest_--

"Septimus…Septimus…" A voice chanted lightly over and over again, "I know you're awake…Septimus…Septimus…I'm going to get you…"

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_Oh no! It's the end! What now!? Whatever shall we do!? Why, make a sequel of course! Maybe after I finish 'Fabric of Unreality' though, I think there are some people out there who want it finished. (coughs-EmptyHeart-coughs) So, you might have to wait a little while for the next one…!_

_Thank you all __**SO**__ much for reading this and reviewing and sticking with it until the very end! I'd hug you all but this is the internet and I can't! But I hope you get this smile:D And I hope it's enough! _

_Many thanks to EmptyHeart for being my beta reader on this and helping me think of chapter titles. _

_Thanks to Thunderstorm101 for all those reviews and for telling me just exactly what part Tucker is in the whole scheme of things…! _

_Thanks to dragon of spirits for pointing out that, no matter how much I am convinced Vlad is not a really __**bad**__ guy, that he is still an annoying fruitloop who longs to get his way!_

_And also thanks to sciencefreak330, Plushiemon, Failure007, LoveInsanity, Wishes for Wings, and Zilleniose for leaving me so many reviews! Love, peace, hugs, and a bowl of Fruitloops cereal for everybody! _


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